Evans Cherry Jam Recipes

CHERRY JAM RECIPE WITHOUT PECTIN AND LOW SUGAR

Steps:

• Wash, remove stems, and pit cherries. A cherry pitter is highly advised
• Roughly chop up cherries. Place chopped cherries in a large stock pot. Add 1/2 cup water to cherries. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You'll see the cherries begin to break down and thicken.
• Stir in sugar and lemon juice, mixing well. Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Sugar will scorch quickly if not kept moving. Boil, uncovered, till thick, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into hot sterilized jars.
• Note: It's set when it sticks to the back of a metal spoon. This is called sheeting. Look at the jam dripping off the edge of the spoon. It should look like a "sheet" of jam, not a bunch of individual drops. Cherry jam is not meant to be extremely thick. It's a thinner jam, excellent on pancakes, waffles, toast, etc.
• Wipe rims with a damp towel, put on lids and bands. Submerge in hot water bath and process for 15 minutes *increase processing time for high altitude (see note section). Take off of heat and let sit for 5 minutes before moving to a folded towel. Let sit for at least 12 hours before checking seals on jars. Then store in a cool dark place for up to a year. If any jars didn't set, store in fridge.
• Make 2 pints or 4 eight ounce jelly jars.

SOUR CHERRY JAM

Steps:

• Pit fresh 3 lbs sour cherries. If working with pitted fruit, the total weight should be about 2 1/2 lbs pitted, or roughly 5 cups pitted fruit.
• Place the fruit in a heavy-bottomed jam pot along with lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
• Cook the cherry mixture, stirring continuously to avoid boil-overs, for about 20 minutes until the fruit has completely fallen apart.
• Add sugar. (If adding pectin, now is the time, see notes).
• Continue cooking the jam until it reaches gel stage, about 25 to 30 more minutes.
• Test for gel stage on a plate that's been placed in the freezer, or with an instant-read thermometer (220 degrees F at sea level).
• Turn off heat and ladle jam into prepared jars. De-bubble, wipe rims and adjust headspace to 1/4 inch. Store in the refrigerator for immediate use (within 1 month), or process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes for a shelf-stable jam.

EVANS CHERRY JAM

Steps:

• Combine cherries and lemon juice in a Dutch oven. Gradually stir in Bernardin Fruit Pectin until dissolved. Place Dutch oven over high heat. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar. Continue to stir and cook over high heat until mixture returns to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir and skim foam for 5 minutes.
• Pour into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe jar rims thoroughly with a clean damp cloth. Seal and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes in Alberta.

CERTO SOUR CHERRY JAM

Steps:

• Bring boiling-water canner, half full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain jars well before filling.
• Stem and pit cherries. Finely chop or grind fruit. Measure exactly 4 cups prepared fruit into 6- or 8-qt. saucepot.
• Stir sugar into prepared fruit in saucepot. Add butter to reduce foaming. Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in pectin. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 min., stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.
• Ladle immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.) Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 10 min. Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lids with finger. (If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)