Easy Recipe of Cherry Jelly With Pectin
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We are still debating the labeling of this preserve. Is it a jam or a jelly? Strictly speaking, it does not quite fit the jam label because we do not crush the cherries to make it. On the other hand a classic jelly requires any fruit pulp to be removed from the preserve. We keep cherries untouched to make ours. Regardless, this recipe is easy to make and will quickly become your favorite.
Jam or a Jelly
Here’s the deal: we’re in a bit of a jam – pun totally intended – figuring out what label to slap on this creation of ours. It’s like we’ve got a puzzle with missing pieces: doesn’t quite fit the jam mold since the cherries do not get crushed, yet it’s not the classic jelly either, given the whole cherries that are floating luxuriously in a sea of jelly goodness. Whether you’re cheering for Team Jam or waving the Jelly flag, we’re putting our money where our mouth is – you’re absolutely going to love the endgame.
Whether you have already made this preserve or are just planning to make it, please let us know in the comments what shall we call this creation – a jam or a jelly?
Cherries used in this recipe
We used sweet Bing cherries for this recipe, but any other sweet cherries will work well too. You can choose to pit the cherries or not. We kept the pits when we made this jam.
Less Sugar
Our preserves have low sugar but stay fresh on the shelf. How? The secret lies in properly preparing the jars and lids. Make sure you follow the instructions on sterilizing the jars in this recipe.
Recommended Equipment
- Wide, heavy-bottomed stainless steel pot
- Large wooden spoon
- Stainless Steel mesh strainer
- Heavy-duty stainless steel kitchen tongs
- Stainless steel pairing knife
- Stainless steel canning ladle
- Stainless steel canning funnel
- Mason Jar lids for canning
- Mason Jars for canning
- Non-slippery trivets and pot holders
- Thick cotton kitchen towel
Easy Small Batch Black Cherry Preserve
Equipment
- wooden spoon
- colander
- heavy-bottomed pot
- potholders, oven mitts, trivets for hot dishes
Ingredients
- 2 ½ lb cherries
- 2 cups sugar
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup powdered pectin any brand
Instructions
Preparing the Cherries
- Discard any berries showing signs of browning or bruising, and remove the stems.
- Thoroughly wash the remaining cherries, then let them dry in a colander.
Cooking the Cherries
- Grab a large, heavy-bottomed pot and combine the cherries, sugar, pectin, and water. Mix everything together.
- Place the pot over low heat and gently bring the cherries to a boil.
- Reduce the heat even more and let the cherries simmer for 5-6 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, cover the pot with a lid, and allow the cherries to steep for 6-8 hours.
- Once steeping is done, return the pot to the stove over low heat.
- Slowly bring the jam back to a boil. Once it’s boiling again, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.
- Let the jam simmer for an additional 40 minutes.
- (!) While the jam is cooking, begin preparing the Mason jars. It's important to have your jars ready at this point, because the next step, filling them with piping hot jam, must follow immediately.
Choose your preferred canning method to preserve your jam
For those processing this preserve using water bath or steam canner, the processing time guidelines at various altitudes are as follows:
0 – 1,000 ft: 5 mins
1,001 – 6,000 ft: 10 mins
Altitudes Above 6,000 ft: 15 mins
Ways to enjoy your cherry jam:
- This jam is absolutely divine over vanilla or chocolate ice cream.
- Mix it into Greek yogurt for a decadent treat
- Create a luscious filling for Danish pastries.
- Or simply savor it by the spoonful – no judgment here!
