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Sweet Cherries

Source of Recipe

From "Blue Ribbon Canning" by Linda J Amendt


Recipe Introduction

"When canning fair entry jars, the Romeros leave the cherries whole — the pits help prevent them from bursting and shrinking. They also discard the syrup the cherries have been heated in and make a fresh batch of syrup to fill the jars so that the syrup is crystal clear to show off the cherries and earn that blue ribbon. For home use, they remove the pits and then measure the pitted cherries and also can the cherries with the syrup used to heat the cherries."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 5 ¼ cups water
â—¦ 2 ¼ cups granulated sugar
â—¦ 10 pounds sweet cherries, stemmed and pitted


Recipe

In an 8-quart stainless steel stockpot, combine the water and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Reduce the heat to low and add the cherries to the syrup. Slowly heat the mixture over low until the cherries are hot, about 2 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, pack the cherries into hot jars, leaving ½ inch headspace. Ladle the hot syrup into the jars, covering the cherries and maintaining the ½-inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles. If necessary, add more syrup to maintain the headspace. Wipe the jar rims and threads with a clean, damp paper towel. Apply hot lids and screw bands.

Process pint jars in a water bath canner for 15 minutes; quart jars for 20 minutes. Remove from the water bath canner and let cool for 12 to 24 hours. Check the seals and remove the screw bands. Store jars in a cool, dry, dark place for up to 1 year.

Makes four 1-quart jars