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Pickled Sweet Cherries

Source of Recipe

From "Food in Jars" by Marisa McClellan


Recipe Introduction

"When my friend Shay first tasted these pickled cherries, she looked at me in disbelief and said, 'Cherry pie!' And she was right. The sweet brine performs some sort of miracle on your taste buds so that your brain receives the flavors of a perfectly balanced pie. They pair up nicely with a creamy cheese and also make for a delicious snack straight out of the jar."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 2 ½ cups distilled white vinegar
â—¦ 2 cups granulated sugar
â—¦ 2 tablespoons pickling salt
â—¦ 4 bay leaves
â—¦ 32 black peppercorns
â—¦ 2 ½ pounds sweet cherries, washed with stems trimmed


Recipe

Prepare a boiling water bath and four regular-mouth 1-pint jars. Place the lids in a small saucepan, cover them with water, and simmer over very low heat.

Combine the vinegar, 2 cups water, the sugar, and pickling salt in a pot and bring the brine to a boil.

Meanwhile, place 1 bay leaf and 8 peppercorns in each sterilized jar. Pack the cherries into the jars as tightly as you can manage, while trying not to squash them.

Slowly pour the hot brine over the cherries in each jar, leaving ½ inch of headspace. Gently tap the jars on a towel-lined countertop to help loosen any bubbles before using a wooden chopstick to dislodge any remaining bubbles. Check the headspace again and add more brine if necessary.

Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Let pickles cure for at least 48 hours before eating.

Makes four 1-pint jars



• Note:
I like to leave the stems on the cherries when pickling them because they help them better retain their shape. I do suggest you trim all the stems to a uniform length of about 1 inch, as it makes for a nicer presentation.