Sweet Cherry Preserves
This homemade old fashioned Sweet Cherry Preserves is made with no pectin in small batches. Homemade Sweet Cherry Preserves is so easy to make. If you are looking for an easy summer canning recipe to try this sweet cherry preserves recipe is just the one.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh sweet cherries
- 4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice
Instructions
Prep the cherries
- Rinse the fresh sweet cherries under cool running water.
- Stem and pit the cherries using a cherry pitter. Sprinkle the lemon or lime just over the pitted cherries and toss. This helps keep the pitted cherries from browning. While pitting the cherries catch any cherry juice in a bowl.
Make the Cherry Preserves
- Put the sugar and cherry juice in a 5 quart or larger nonreactive pot.
- Heat the sugar and cherry juice over medium heat to dissolve the sugar. (add a small amount of water if needed, just to help dissolve the sugar).
- Add the pitted sweet cherries to the pot and gently stir to combine.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the cherries and sugar to a hard boil.
- Cook until the cherries are glossy (5 to 8 minutes).
- Remove the pot of cherries from the heat and allow to cool. Once cool cover the pot and place it in the refrigerator for 12 to 18 hours or overnight.
- Prepare your canning jars and lids by washing them in hot soapy water. Check for nicks on the jar rims at this time and discard any jars that are damaged.
- Place a canning rack (I used my Silicone rack) in the bottom of a large canning pot. Fill the pot with water (or the Ball Electric Canner if using) and submerge 4 or 5 half-pint canning jars in the pot of water. The water needs to completely cover the jars.
- Bring the pot of jars to a hard boil, reduce the heat to low. Keep the jars hot as you cook the cherry preserves.
- Place the pot of cherries on the stove and heat over high heat until a full rolling boil.
- Boil the cherry preserves constantly stirring until it has almost reached the gelling point of 220 F. Use a candy thermometer to check the temperature.
- Remove the pot from the heat and skim any foam.
- Fill each half-pint canning jar using a ladle to prevent spills. Leave a ¼ inch headspace. Use an air bubbler remover to remove air bubbles. Add more preserves to the jar if needed to bring the headspace up to ¼ inch.
- Wipe the jar rims with a dampened paper towel and center a flat lid on the jar. Twist on a band until just fingertip tight. Place the filled jar into the pot of hot water and continue to fill the remaining jars placing each jar into the pot of hot water once filled.
- Once all of the jars are filled and in the pot of hot water, check to make sure the water is covering all jars with at least an inch of water over the tops. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat. Once boiling place a lid on the pot. Hot water bath process the jars for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude if needed.
- Turn off the heat and remove the lid from the pot. Allow jars to stand in the water for five minutes. Use a jar lifter to remove each jar from the pot and place the hot jar on a towel on the counter. Allow the jars to cool overnight before storing.
Video
Recipe Expert Tips
- Recipe Source: The All New Ball Book Of Canning And Preserving: Over 350 of the Best Canned, Jammed, Pickled, and Preserved Recipes
- Time is the approximate cooking time. You will need to factor in the time the cherry preserves have been in the refrigerator for 12 to 18 hours.
Nutrition
Serving: 2TablespoonsCalories: 97kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 1mgPotassium: 54mgFiber: 1gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 15IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 3mgIron: 1mg
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