Sour Cherry Preserves

Making your own jam or preserves can be incredibly rewarding. Simply knowing exactly what went into that jar can bring a sense of comfort. It can be difficult to find some fruit varieties in the main stream supermarkets, so, why not make your own? It’s a lot easier than most people realize.

Calories 1808

Equipment

Mason jars – or other ½ pint sized canning jars. Each pound of fruit will yield approximately one of sour cherry preserves.

Ingredients

3 pounds sour cherries
1 Cup Sugar – raw white or cane sugar can be used.
¼ Cup lemon juice

Instructions

Prepare the canning jars and pot for hot water bath processing. The jars don’t need to be sterilized because you’ll be processing the filled jars for 10 minutes. Place 2 or 3 small saucers in the freezer.
Rinse and pit the cherries.
Place the cherries into a non-reactive pot (stainless steel or enameled iron) and crush about ½ of them with your fingers to release their juice.
Add the sugar and the lemon juice to the pot.
Heat the mixture on low heat until the sugar dissolves completely.
Increase the heat and boil for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until desired set has been reached.

To test if set:

Remove pot from heat.
Place a teaspoon full of the mixture onto a frozen plate.
Place the plate back into the freezer for one minute.
Remove from freezer and push finger tip through the preserves. If it wrinkles under your finger, even a little bit, it’s set. If your finger glides through without resistance, boil the mixture for one minute longer.
Repeat this process until desired set is reached.
Place the set mixture into canning jars and hot water bath process for 10 minutes. OR, jar and put directly into the refrigerator. Your sour cherries preserves are ready for you to enjoy all year long!!

Nutrition