We live in an area of Washington State where many varieties of fruit are grown in great abundance. Cherries are one of the fruits which are readily available here. Cherries are such a great fruit and make a truly fabulous sweet cherry jam. This is an amazingly simple recipe with the most difficult part is removing the pits from the cherries. This is a great jam for all the basic jam-using purposes. Overall, it is a very good, delicious, and easy way to preserve your cherries.
Cherry Jam
Preparation
Start by preparing your boiling water bath with enough water to cover 8 half-pint jars with 1-2 inches of water. Place the water bath canner on the stove on medium heat. Next, preheat your jars in the oven at 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, submerge your lids in a small pan of water, bring it to a boil, and then leave it at a simmer. Now that your equipment is ready, it is time to start making this yummy jam.
Making the Cherry Jam
Wash, de-stem, and pit the cherries.
De-stem and pit cherries.
Blend 4 cups of cherries. (The blender is easier but if you are not 100% sure you got all of the pits out you will want to mash the cherries so you can remove any remaining pits.)
Mix the cherries with 6 tablespoons of pectin and 1/4 cup of lemon juice in a deep pot. If you want to reduce foaming add 1/2 teaspoon of butter.
Add lemon and pectin.
Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil on medium-high heat. Stir constantly.
Add 6 cups of sugar and bring back to a full boil for 1 minute.
Add sugar
Pour or ladle the jam into clean, hot, half-pint-sized jars leaving ¼ inch headspace. Place the lids and rings on and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath at sea level or adjust for your elevation.
Remove the jars from the water bath. Allow them to sit on the counter for 24 hours then check if they sealed properly. The center will be indented down if they are. If not, place any unsealed jars in the refrigerator and use them right away.
Place the sealed jars in a cool, dry area and use them within the next 3 years. After that, the nutritional value begins to decrease.
Cherry Jam
If you have any questions about how to use a boiling water canner take a look at our canning basics videos.
