After listening to my neighbor Girly Girl go on and on about how wonderful her $12 jar of gourmet cherry jam was, I thought I would try whipping up a batch for myself. So this morning before The Girl Who Thinks She’s a Bird left for practice, I made her pit 3 pounds of cherries for me. She was so excited {Ha!}.
And I’m so glad I did.
So. Freakin’. Delicious.
I think there is even enough left on the bottom of the pan to pour over the last few bites of my hidden stash of vanilla ice cream I have tucked away in the freezer.
Go make this! Trust me, you won’t regret it. Homemade cherry jam is awesome!
Canning 101 – How to Make Cherry Jam
Description
Go make this! Trust me, you won’t regret it. Homemade cherry jam is awesome!
Ingredients
3 cups ripe cherries, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup lemon juice {I used bottled}
1 box dry fruit pectin
4 1/2 cups sugar
Instructions
- 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 3 cups of the prepared cherries into 6- or 8-qt. saucepot. Stir in lemon juice.
- STIR pectin into fruit mixture in saucepot.
- Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn’t stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar.
- 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 1/8 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.
Notes
(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 middles of lids with finger. (If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)
Looking for a few more canning recipes? Search my Full List of Canning Recipes
Looking for a good canning book? Here’s a list of my favorites:
- Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
- The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook
- Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It
- Food in Jars
- The Amish Canning Cookbook
- Not Your Mama’s Canning Book
Also, check out these tutorials if you’ve never used a canner before:
Tutorial: Hot Water Bath Canning
Tutorial: How to Use a Pressure Canner
Jen says
Which exatract do you add and how much? This looks so yummy! Thanks!!!
Mavis says
No Extract Jen. It was a typo. Sorry. 🙂
Jen says
I’m so excited you posted this, I’ve never had cherry jam but it sounded so good that the kids and I picked cherries yesterday and made a batch last night as a trial round. I don’t think my jam jelled though. Can I ask another clarifying question? Did you add 3 or 4 cups of the chopped fruit. I added 4 and then looked at the ingredients and it says 3 thanks again, I think these would make terrific Christmas gifts!
Mavis says
Hi Jen, it should be 3 cups of chopped fruit. Sorry about that.I’m totally losing it.
Tanya says
I am from the NW but am living in Belgium right now. I love to read your blog everyday! I just discovered cherry jam since being here in Belgium and it is my new fav (after strawberry-rhubarb of course) You can get a big jar in the grocery here for a few euros. I have it on toast, mixed in with my Greek yogurt, etc.
Your blogging makes me soooo homesick for the NW (I grew up in Tacoma) with the gardening and canning and talking about visiting all the places I am familiar with. Thanks for all the work you do on this site, keep it up. 🙂
Mavis says
Where in Belgium? Have you been to Mary Chocolatier in Brussels? I want to go there. 🙂
Tanya says
Evere, which is a suburb of Brussels (near NATO). As a matter of fact yesterday I went to Neuhaus Chocolate factory outlet. I got 3kg of assorted chocolate for 40 euros to mail home.
I just Googled Mary’s and it is a short bus ride from me, may have to go check it out. You can hardly leave the house without passing by a bakery, chocolate shop or beer house around here……..I LOVE IT!
Chela says
I made some last year and it is delish!! I guess I know what I will be doing this weekend along with a mountain of beets to pickle.
carrie says
Hey gal, adore your blog!
You said you had your gal pit three pounds of cherries, and the recipe uses 3 cups. Just wanted to make sure the recipe is cups not pounds? Thanks for writing. I ordered my cherry pitter yesterday. I am looking forward to the brown truck coming my way tomorrow!
Carrie in the NE
Mavis says
The recipe is for 3 cups of cherries. I had her pit 3 pounds because I needed some for another recipe. 🙂 Happy pitting! 🙂
Lyn says
I just did it, can’t wait to try it. This is my first time canning, I can’t believe how easy it is. Thanks Mavis.
Mavis says
Wahooooo! Way to go Lyn!
Jane says
This looks so good. I need to start canning, for some reason I’m always intimidated by the idea!
Mavis says
You can do it. Start with Jam, it’s the easiest thing ever. 🙂
Laurie says
You inspired me I went and bought cherries. I put up 12 qts. I’m going to get more so I can make jam.
I went and bought the Progressive brand cherry pitter, you can do 4 cherries at once, I got mine at Bed Bath & Beyond. What a time saver!
Lee says
Mavis, I made this Jam this morning. I had a lot of foam, more than just a couple spoon fulls, is this the normal foam to expect. It is cooling now. I also made 1/2 the receipe, hope that will not effect anything. Love your blog.
Lee
Mavis says
Eeeek! I didn’t have foam. I wonder if cutting the recipe in half had something to do with it? In some of my jam recipes I use 1/2 tablespoon of butter {after I add the pectin} to reduce foaming, but I didn’t for this cherry jam. Hmmm.
Lee says
I will let you know if it sets, etc. right now, it looks good.
Lee
Heather says
Best recipe ever!!! I couldn’t keep the kids out of the pot while I was canning it! I did half Rainier and half Bing cherries… super yummy. I may have to start eating jam again!!
Can’t wait to use this on this years holiday ham. Cherry jam is yummy on ham!!!
Lee says
I wondered how this would be with Rainer cherries. I made using the Bing cheeries and only made 1/2 the receipe. It came out delicious. Will make this again next weekend, need to buy more jelly jars. I read somewhere that you could add more pectin if your jam is coming out a little too runny. Has anyone else read of this? I thought mine was fine, but I did make a no cook strawberry jam that did come out runny.
Lee
Erika says
Cherries were 99 cents a lb. at the farmer’s market store here this week, so I picked up 3 bags. My little boys helped me pit one of the bags and it made two batches. Now I need to get more sugar and more jars to do the other two bags of cherries. This jam is amazingly good! I really made sure to get the full rolling boil before and after adding the sugar and I think it’s going to set up just right (my jams have frequently come out syrupy in the past – very tasty, just more runny than I’d prefer). I think I’m going to get some of the cute little jars and do jams as family gifts for Christmas this year – and this cherry recipe will definitely be in there! Also, I think I’m going to make a big jar just for me and hide it from hubby and kids LOL!
Mavis says
Yes, I think you should hide a jar too! 😉
cristy says
What I have found works, if your jam looks runny and not like its going to “set” … just let it keep boiling. I reduce sugar on ALL of my jams– I see no point in adding all the extra sugar when the fruit should be sweet enough 🙂 — and then just boil until the foam subsides. Be sure to continue stirring. Depending on the fruit it can take an extra 15-30 minutes for it all to cook down. The foam will push to the outside and a glaze will come over the jam. When that happens add a very small bit of butter to get rid of any further foam — then ladle into jars and process.
Renay Camp says
$0.99/lb-wow! Where? Here in the south they are 6-7$ per pound
Renay says
.99 cents a pound! Where is this? I want to live here. Then I noticed this was posted in 2012.
Carissa says
Hi Mavis – I just made your Apple Pie Jam and it is to die for! I came across your cherry jam recipe just now and would love to make it. Do you know if frozen cherries would work for this jam?
Mavis says
Hmmmm. I have never tried the recipe with frozen cherries. I’ve used frozen berries before for jam, but never frozen cherries.
Carissa says
I’m thinking I may try to make this from frozen cherries since this recipe looks so yummy. When you’ve made jam from frozen berries, did you thaw and drain before use or go straight from frozen?
Mavis says
I have the used berries right out of the freezer. 🙂 Let me know how your jam turns out.
Carissa says
Will do 🙂
Carissa says
Hi Mavis – Frozen cherries worked great! Thanks again for a great recipe 🙂
Mavis says
Thanks Carissa! 🙂
kim says
found this recipe last week and have bought cherries to do it. cant wait to try it. I am a diabetic what do u suggest on making a sugar free version. I was thinking of using agave or splenda.. I love ur blog. thanks for all the work u do
Kristen says
Mavis, can this recipe be doubled? Also I froze my cherries in the spring without pitting them is this going to be a disaster? 🙂 Thanks
Tracy says
So agree with you. I started making these a couple of years ago and they are the bomb. I label them, “Cherry Bomb Preserves.” SO good.
I don’t know what it is this year (okay, I’m stressed and canning is therapy), but I have put up about 100 jars of strawberry, cherry, plum, blueberry preserves, (pear & fig to come), and tomatoes, jalapenos, salsa, and green beans to come. I love the finished result. Look like little jewels in my Grandmother’s old glass-front cabinet.
The English muffins you get in the cold section (not the preservative, shelfed ones) of the grocery store really hold all these preserves so beautifully, and pair beautifully in taste. My favorite breakfast is: one half of a dry toasted English muffin with a pan fried egg on top (cooked in a bit of coconut oil), sprinkled with crushed flax seed and a little goat cheese. The other toasted half has some preserves from my stash. The balance of savory and sweet is amazing. Made it for my nephew when he visited and he said it was the best breakfast he had ever had. 🙂 I have a flock of hens, so I always look for ways to use our fresh eggs. This is my fave (and it holds me until dinner). Try it with some of your cherry preserves!
Terri says
Hi, Mavis! About how many jars (what size?) did this recipe yield? Thanks for all your great recipes and advice!
Mavis Butterfield says
About 5 1/2 pints. It’s delicious!!
Jo Ann says
Just wanted to know if you absolutely had to give the jam a steam bath. I have made other jams and they didn’t require a steam bath. I put hot contents into hot jars and they sealed themselves. You could hear the lids pop shut.
Mavis Butterfield says
Yes. They need a steam bath.
Bonnie says
How many jars does this recipe make, please?
Mavis Butterfield says
5 half pints
Bonnie says
Thank you!
Jack says
Dear Mavis,
Call me ignorant. I guess everyone else knows but me. Both sweet and sour cherries are grown in our area. We use sour cherries for all of our pies. Which do you use for this recipe? Thank you much for the answer.
J
Mavis Butterfield says
I used sweet cherries for this recipe. 🙂