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Sour Cherry Jelly

Source of Recipe

From "Ball Canning Back to Basics"


Recipe Introduction

"Try this with ham on hot rolls, or stir a few spoonfuls of Sour Cherry Jelly into your lemonade to create Sour Cherry Lemonade."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 3 pounds tart red cherries, stemmed, pitted, and chopped
â—¦ â…“ cup water
â—¦ Cheesecloth
â—¦ 4 tablespoons Ball Classic Pectin
â—¦ 3 â…“ cups sugar


Recipe

Bring the cherries and water to a boil in a 6-quart stainless-steel or enameled Dutch oven. Cover; reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Pour the cherry mixture through a mesh strainer lined with three layers of dampened cheesecloth into a bowl. Let drain 2 to 4 hours or until the juice measures 3 cups. (To avoid cloudy jelly, do not press or squeeze the cherry mixture.)

Combine the cherry juice and the pectin in a 6-quart stainless-steel or enameled Dutch oven. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, over high, stirring constantly. Add the sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return to a full rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim the foam, if necessary.

Ladle the hot jelly into a hot jar, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Wipe the jar rim. Center the lid on the jar. Apply the band, and adjust to fingertip-tight. Place the jar in the boiling water canner. Repeat until all the jars are filled. Process the jars 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat; remove the lid, and let the jars stand 5 minutes. Remove the jars and cool.

Makes about 6 (½-pint) jars