Friday, August 6, 2010

Preserve It . . . Canning Corner - Bottled Cherries!

It's Cherry Season!
The first year I did cherries I swore I'd never do them
again.  I didn't have a cherry pitter and TONS of cherries to do,
so I used the end of a potato peeler to get the pits out.
It took FOREVER to get one quart jar full!
I wouldn't even let anyone eat the cherries.
I just wanted them to sit on the shelf and look pretty!
I finally got a cherry pitter and cherries are back on my
list of things to can!
Here's the How To:
Wash the Cherries
Remove the Pits and Stems
Prepare the Syrup
(Recipe included below.)
Fill clean canning jars about 1/2 full of pitted cherries.
You can leave your cherries whole or you can cut them in half.
Add about 1 cup of syrup and tap the bottom of the
jar to settle the cherries.
Continue adding the cherries until you have about
1/2" headspace.
Add enough syrup to cover the cherries.
Add new lids and tighten finger tight with jar rings.
Lids need to be heated to a simmer.
Process pints and quarts for 25 minutes in a
waterbath canner.
Syrup Recipe:
Extra Light
1 cup sugar to 4 1/2 cups water
Light
2 cups sugar to 5 cups water
Medium
3 cups sugar to 5 1/2 cups water
Heavy
4 3/4 cups sugar to 6 1/2 cups water
Heat until sugar is dissolved.
Honey Syrup Recipe:
Light
1 1/2 cups honey to 4 cups water
Medium
2 cups honey to 4 cups water
Give it a try!
Nothing beats a Hot Cherry Pie on a cold winter day!!!

2 comments:

Angie White said...

Awesome! I just canned tomatoes with my momma today! It's quite a sense of accomplishment, I must say!

Natalie said...

Mmmm! I'm going to can tomatoes for the first time this year... any tips?!