Black Cherry Preserves Recipes

HOMEMADE BLACK CHERRY PRESERVES RECIPE

Steps:

• In a large, heavy bottomed saucepan, combine cherries, water, prepared calcium water, thyme, and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce to low and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the cherries are tender.
• Meanwhile mix together the pectin and honey or sugar. Add the honey (or sugar)/pectin mixture to the cherry mixture and return to a low boil for at least 2 minutes.
• Remove thyme.
• Ladle preserves into sterilized jars. Wipe the rims of the jars and place prepared lids on jars. Screw rings into place until finger tight. Process in a water canner at a full rolling boil for 15 minutes for pints or 10 minutes for half pints.
• After processing time is complete, remove jars from canner and allow them to cool complete without disruption. Check for seal and store unopened jars for up to a year. Refrigerate after opening.

BLACK CHERRY PRESERVES

Steps:

• Place the cherries in a pan, add the sugar and let stand in a cool place for 3 hours.
• Sprinkle the cherries with lemon juice and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 1 1/2 hours until the preserve is of an even consistency. Ladle into warm, sterilized glass jars while still hot and let cool, then seal tightly.

CANNING CHERRY JAM

Steps:

• Place lids into the warmed mini slow cooker and prepare jars and canner.
• Sort and wash fully ripe cherries; remove any stems, leaves, and pits.
• Coarsely chop cherries into larger pieces, add to a non-reactive pot.
• Allow the cherries to come to boil, stirring the cherries often. Using a potato musher, press down on the cherries to extract their natural juices.
• Add pectin and stir well.
• On high heat stir the cherries continually, bring the cherry mixture to a hard boil.
• Stir in the sugar or sweetener of choice and return to a full bubbling boil. Allow the black cherry jam to hard boil for 2 minutes, making sure to stir constantly.
• Remove from heat and skim any foam which is present.
• Using a jar funnel and ladle, fill jars leaving a 1/4-inch headspace.
• Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean dishtowel dipped in water.
• Add warmed lids and rings to finger tight.
• Follow the instruction for processing jars in a steam or hot water bath canner using the processing time based on the altitude which you reside. See the chart for the correct processing time in the original post.

CHERRY PRESERVES

Steps:

• Place a round wire rack in the bottom of a large stockpot. The rack should fit as snugly as possible and should stand 1/2 to 1 inch above the bottom of the pot. Stand the four jars on the rack, and add the lids; it's not necessary to add the screw bands. Fill pot with enough water to cover jars by 1 to 2 inches; an additional 1 to 2 inches of space should remain below the rim of the pot so the water doesn't overflow. Bring water to a simmer (180 degrees) let lids and jars simmer 10 minutes or until you're ready to fill them. Place four small plates in the freezer.
• In a medium stockpot, combine the cherries, 1/4 cup sugar, and lemon juice; place over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar has dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in one-third of the remaining sugar, and cook, stirring, until it has dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the sugar in two more batches, stirring each batch until sugar has dissolved.
• Bring the mixture to a full boil, and cook, stirring frequently, 10 minutes. Place a candy thermometer in mixture, and cook, stirring frequently, until temperature registers 220 degrees. 30 to 40 minutes. While cooking, skim any foam that floats to the surface.
• With the temperature at 220 degrees, perform a gel test: Remove one of the plates from the freezer, and place a spoonful of the jam on it. Return the plate to freezer, and wait 1 minute. Remove plate from freezer, and gently nudge the edge of the jam with one finger. If the jam is ready, it will wrinkle slightly when pushed. If it is not ready, it will be too thin to wrinkle. If the jam does not wrinkle on the first attempt, cook 2 or 3 minutes more, and repeat the gel test.
• Once the jam has gelled properly, remove stockpot from heat. Using canning tongs, remove a jar from the simmering water, and empty the water back into the stockpot. Place the jar on a clean surface, and insert a canning funnel. Using a ladle, pour the jam through the funnel into the jar; fill to within 1/4 inch of the rim. Remove the funnel; wipe the rim with a clean damp towel. Using the tongs, lift a lid from the hot water; place lid, sealant side down, on the filled jar. Screw down the band, and tighten firmly, being careful not to force it. With the tongs, stand filled jar in simmering water. Repeat with the remaining jam and jars, making sure jars aren't touching sides of pot and are spaced 1 inch apart.
• Raise the heat to high, cover stockpot, and bring water to a boil. Process jars in boiling water for 10 minutes. Using tongs, transfer jars to a wire rack to cool completely. Store jam in a cool, dark place up to 1 year.

BLACK FOREST PRESERVES

Steps:

• Prepare canner, jars, and lids.
• In a bowl, combine sugar and cocoa. Stir well.
• In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine cherries and lemon juice. Stir in cocoa mixture. Over high heat, stirring constantly, bring to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.
• Stir in pectin. Boil hard, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in Amaretto. Remove from heat and skim off foam.
• Ladle hot preserves into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and add hot preserves if needed. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band tight.
• Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil, then process for 10 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars.

BEST CHERRY PRESERVES

Steps:

• Sterilize your jars and keep them hot while you're cooking the preserves.
• Place cherries in a large, heavy duty dutch oven.
• Combine pectin with 1/4 cup sugar; stir into cherries, Add butter.
• Bring to a full boil, stirring, over high heat.
• Add 3 more cups sugar and return to a boil , stirring constantly, boil 1 minutes.
• Remove from heat; skim off foam.
• Immediately spoon preserves into 3 one pint sterilized jars, leaving 1/4" headspace.
• Wipe the sealing surface of the jars with a clean paper towel, dampened with hot water, to remove any preserves or sugar crystals.
• Place lids and screw on bands fingertip tight.
• Process in a boiling water bath for at least ten minutes, depending upon your altitude.
• When the jars have been processed in boiling water for the recommended time, turn off the heat and remove the canner lid; wait 5 minutes. Remove jars from canner using a jar lifter and keeping jars upright. Carefully place them directly onto a towel or cake cooling rack to protect your countertop, leaving at least one inch of space between the jars during cooling. Avoid placing the jars on a cold surface or in a cold draft.
• After jars have cooled undisturbed for 24 hours, remove ring bands from sealed jars. Put any unsealed jars in the refrigerator and use first.

BLACK BING CHERRY PRESERVES

Steps:

• Combine the cherries and sugar in a large, heavy, shallow, non-reactive saucepan.
• Set aside to plump, several hours or as long as overnight.
• Add the water to the cherries and bring to a boil.
• Cook for 5 minutes; then add the lemon juice and boil rather fast until the juice has thickened like jelly and a candy thermometer reads 221*F.
• Remove pan from heat and allow the preserves to sit overnight, covered; refrigerate them, if you'd rather.
• The next day, reheat the preserves to the boiling point and spoon them into hot, sterilized canning jars and seal.
• Store in the refrigerator, or (better) in the freezer.