Cherries are ripe and you want to enjoy their taste for as long as possible? Nothing could be easier! We suggest making cherry jam according to the classic recipe, without preservatives.
Compote, jam or jelly recipes are the most delicious way to preserve seasonal fruit for winter. They don’t require many ingredients, just a little patience and time, and during the cold season you’ll be able to indulge in the taste and aroma of your favorite fruit preserved in jars. You can also include them in cream recipes for cakes and pies or in various sauces.
You can prepare jams or jellies in many different ways. But the following classic recipe may become your favorite.
Here’s the ingredient list and step-by-step instructions for the simplest cherry jam recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 kg cherries
- 1 kg sugar
- The juice of a lemon
Preparation
Before taking the first step in making cherry jam, it’s best to arm yourself with a little patience. That is, unless you own an automatic cherry pit remover.
So, start by preparing the cherries, washing them and letting them drain well in a sieve. When they are well drained, remove the pits with a special device or a toothpick. Choose the ripest and largest cherries, if possible, to shorten the cooking time.
Prepare a double-bottomed saucepan or a cauldron if you have one. Place the cherries in the pan and add the sugar on top. Add the lemon juice to enhance the color of the jam, but also to prevent the sugar from hardening during storage. You can also add a few sachets of vanilla sugar for extra flavor. Mix the cherries well with the sugar and refrigerate the bowl for 2-3 hours. During this time, stir the cherries with the sugar until the sugar melts and syrup forms.
How to cook cherry jam
Once all the sugar is melted, place the saucepan on the stove flame, turned on medium heat. Let the ingredients simmer until foam forms on the surface. Using a thick sieve or a slotted spoon, skim off the foam.
Reduce the heat to low and leave the jam to simmer for 40-45 minutes. To make sure the jam is ready, you can do the syrup drop test, as with any jam recipe.
Put a small plate in the fridge for 10-15 minutes, then place it on the kitchen table. Spoon out a little jam and drop it on the cold plate. Wait 5-6 minutes and if the jam becomes more consistent and no longer runny, you can turn off the heat.
Sterilize the jars and fill them with the hot jam. Close them tightly with lids and place a few blankets over them. Let them cool slowly under the blankets, then you can put transfer them in the pantry.