How to Make Cherry Jam; Canning

Marie Overton
Jul 3, 2021
2 min read

Updated: Jul 1

I live in an area of Washington State where many varieties of fruit are grown in great abundance. Cherries are one of the fruits which are readily available here. Cherries are such a great fruit and make a truly fabulous sweet cherry jam. This is an amazingly simple recipe where the most difficult part is removing the pits from the cherries. This is a great jam for all the basic jam-using purposes. Overall, it is a very good, delicious, and easy way to preserve your cherries.

Preparation

Start by preparing your boiling water bath canner with enough water to cover 8 half-pint jars with 1-2 inches of water. Place the water bath canner on the stove on medium heat.

Making the Cherry Jam

Hand rinsing dark cherries in a glass bowl under running water in a stainless steel kitchen sink.

Hands holding cherries above a glass bowl; a person wearing a patterned shirt. Background shows a wooden surface and blurred objects.

Hands operating an orange cherry pitter over a glass dish on a kitchen counter. Dark cherries, juice, and a beige apron are visible.

Wash, de-stem, and pit the cherries. (I love this Norpro Cherry Pitter!)

Measure 4 cups of lightly blended cherries. (The blender is easier but if you are not 100% sure you got all of the pits out you will want to mash the cherries so you can remove any remaining pits.)

Pot on speckled counter with red mixture and white powder. Wooden spoon nearby. Eggshell pieces visible, suggesting baking preparation.

Mix the cherries with 6 tablespoons of pectin and 1/4 cup of lemon juice in a large pot. If you want to reduce foaming add 1/2 teaspoon of butter.

Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil on medium-high heat. Stir regularly.

Hands stirring a pot of sugar and red jam on a dark countertop, creating a swirling pattern. One hand holds the pot handle.

Add 6 cups of sugar and bring back to a full boil for 1 minute.

A pot of dark berry jam is being ladled into jars on a speckled countertop. Empty jars and lids are lined up, ready for filling.

After filling your jars, wipe the rims with a clean cloth and secure the lids until finger tip tight. (For quality, American made Superb canning lids and jars follow this link and use the coupon code WP20 to get 20% off your purchase.)

Process in the boiling water bath canner. Process for 10 minutes if at sea level. (Adjust the processing time if you are above 1000 feet.)

After processing, allow to cool in the water bath with the heat off and the lid removed for 5 minutes.

Hands use jar lifters to handle jars of jam on a woven mat in a kitchen. Few pots in the background, casual setting.

Place the jars on a heat-resistant surface about 1-2 inches apart so they can cool a little faster. Allow them to sit undisturbed for 24 hours so that they can get a nice seal. you know they are sealed if the little "button" in the center of the lid is depressed down.

Place the sealed jars in a cool, dry area and use them within the next 3 years. After that, the nutritional value begins to decrease.