Table of Contents
  1. What if there are no fresh cherries to be had?
  2. How can jam be made without pectin?
  3. More Preserving Recipes
  4. Watch how to can cherry jam
  5. Have I Convinced You to Make This Recipe?
  6. How to Can Cherry Jam Recipe

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So many canned goods that used to be made at home are now second thought grocery store purchases. And jam seems to be one of those. Years ago, people would use the abundance of whatever fruit was producing and make jam for use throughout the winter. That’s not so much the case today.

Cherry may not be the first jam that comes to mind when thinking of recipes to make. Likely, strawberry or blueberry jam is many peoples’ first choice. But if/when you have a sour cherry tree producing loads of fruit, and you’ve already made pies, cobblers, and frozen some for later, what else is there to make? Jam, of course!

Close up view of two hands holding glass jar filled with red cherry jam with spoon holding some out to see the texture

What if there are no fresh cherries to be had?

I would never expect everyone to have a sour cherry tree in their backyard. And I’ll admit: they may even be hard to find at a farmer’s market. Sour cherries are not as widely available as sweet cherries, but they’re revered for their deep, complex flavor. This is exactly why sour cherries are preferred for pie and jam.

There are a host of sour cherries varieties and all of them will work for this jam recipe. Personally, I grow two sour cherry varieties: Montmorency and North Star.

Even though fresh may be difficult to find, sour cherries are always available in the frozen aisle of the grocery store. See if your local grocer carries them frozen and snag a few bags. They’ll taste just like the homegrown, fresh ones!

Three glass jars filled with red colored cherry jam sitting on white countertop with towel in background

How can jam be made without pectin?

If you’ve made jam or know the process, you’ll know that a lot of recipes nowadays use a box of powdered pectin. Once the pectin is added, the jam quickly thickens. Sounds great, right? The problem is that boxed pectin can have an irregular texture, often resulting in gooey, gloppy, and simply unnatural jam.

I opt to make all of my jams without any pectin. Instead, I take a cue from Christine Ferber, an amazing French jam maker. Instead of using pectin, the fruit is cooked with sugar to draw out the juices. After a short boil, the juice is drained off and then cooked to 221 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the temperature where enough excess water evaporates, and the sugars thicken. The fruit is then added back in for a bit more cooking, and that’s it! You’ll achieve a perfect jam each and every time!

Top down view of red cherry jam with lots of texture sitting in glass container all on white countertop

Food safety tip: This recipe may not be approved by the USDA. To prevent the risk of botulism, always check with the USDA Canning Guide.

More Preserving Recipes

Watch how to can cherry jam

YouTube video

Have I Convinced You to Make This Recipe?

I hope you make this recipe and put some food on your table. Leave a comment and share a star rating so you can let others know how much you love this recipe. This helps show others that this is a recipe they, too, can make, enjoy, and love!

Small glass jar sitting on white countertop filled with red colored cherry jam with lids and rings all around and wood cutting board in background

How to Can Cherry Jam

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Made from simple ingredients and one surprise addition, it's super easy to can cherry jam! Plus, this method uses no pectin, opting instead to create the jam's texture through a natural thickening processing!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Process Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 96 tbsp

Ingredients

  • 4 ½ lb pitted cherries
  • 3 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp Kirsch

Instructions
 

  • Have all the canning equipment, sterilized jars, lids, and rings ready before beginning the canning process.
  • In a large heavy-bottomed jam pan or Dutch oven, combine the cherries, sugar, lemon juice, and Kirsch. Bring to a boil, about 5 minutes. Continue to boil until the mixture reaches a rolling boil, meaning a boil that cannot be stirred down.
    4 ½ lb pitted cherries, 3 cups granulated sugar, 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 2 tbsp Kirsch
  • Remove from the heat and strain the juice from the cherries. Set the cherries aside and return the juice to a boil. Continue to boil until the juice reaches 221°F, 8-12 minutes. It can take longer one would think. Add the cherries back to the juice. If a finer texture is desired, use an immersion blender to achieve the target consistency.
  • Return the jam to a boil just to heat the cherries.
  • Remove from the heat and divide into prepared jars. Wipe the rims with a clean cloth and top with lids and rings.
  • Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Adjust for altitude using the USDA canning guide.
  • Remove from the water bath onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool for at least 8 hours before removing the rings to store.

Notes

Food safety tip: This recipe may not be approved by the USDA. To prevent the risk of botulism, always check with the USDA Canning Guide.
This method of making jam is inspired by Christine Ferber and her book Mes Confitures.

Nutrition

Serving: 1tbspCalories: 38kcal
Course Spreads
Cuisine American
Difficulty Intermediate
Method Canning

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Kaleb

I’m Kaleb! I'm not a chef, professional baker, landscaper, or designer, but I like to play each on Knollgate Farm. Come join me on my journey and let's learn together!

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1 Comments

  1. Wonderful recipe! I haven’t ever made anything with sour cherries before. I think that’s because I haven’t bothered to ever try, LOL. See, I grew up in western Washington where sweet cherries were common. Where I live now in central Minnesota, there aren’t really any sweet cherry types that are hardy here, just sour- so I haven’t given it a thought. Maybe I will now. We do love jam and pies here. 🙂