Sour Cherry Jam by Callum Heidi Prytherch

Sour Cherry Jam 

by Callum Heidi Prytherch

 

Quart of cherries on a counter next to ginger root, a wrapped bouquet of flowers, and a trivet shaped like a red-capped mushroom. Photo by author.

In this past week's farm share, we received some beautiful sour cherries. Visions of a cherry jam paired with the last of the Womanchego cheese from Cato Corner Farm filled my mind. This is an easy pectin-free recipe for a sour cherry jam. The lemon juice adds some brightness while the vanilla offers some sweetness to balance out the sour flavors. The sugar is adjustable and to your taste.

Sour Cherry Jam Recipe (no Pectin)

Ingredients:

1 Pint Sour Cherries

Juice of one Lemon

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract/Paste

1 Cup Sugar

Instructions:

1. Place glass plate in freezer for 5-15 minutes.

2. Depit cherries and remove stems. Roughly chop fruit.

3. Place cherries in a saucepan and add lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.

4. Cook for twenty minutes while continuously stirring.

5. Add sugar and vanilla extract (or paste if using). Continue cooking until cherry mixture reaches gel phase at 225 degrees F. If you don’t have an instant thermometer, you can use the frozen plate to check by spooning a small amount of the jam onto the plate, returning it to the freezer for a minute, and then sticking your finger in it. If the jam wrinkles, it is done.

6. Turn off heat and can the jam. Store in the fridge for immediate use or process in a water bath canner for ten minutes to make it shelf stable.

    

   

   Slices of whole grain bread on a black plate.  One piece of bread is covered with cherry jam and a triangular slice of cheese.  Photo by author.
   

   
    

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