Living in Washington State we have access to an abundance of cherries. One of the lovely items we like to make from this fabulous fruit is cherry jelly. I really like to make cherry jelly in the winter because all it takes is cherry juice. So I juice the cherries in the summer and make cherry butter out of the pulp and save the juice to make cherry jelly during the winter months when my time is not quite so busy. It has a beautiful jewel-type quality to it that makes it a wonderful gift to give with a loaf of bread or a fabulous treat to add to your toast in the morning.
Supplies
Preparation
Start by preparing your boiling waterbath 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. Next, preheat your jars.
How to Make Cherry Jelly:
Place juice in a large pot.
add pectin
Mix 5 1/2 cups of cherry juice with 6 tablespoons of pectin in a large pot.
add optional butter
If you want to reduce foaming add 1/2 teaspoon of butter.
bring to a boil
Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil on medium-high heat. Stir constantly.
add sugar
Add 7 cups of sugar and bring back to a full boil for 1 minute.
Pour or ladle the jelly into clean, hot, half-pint-sized jars leaving ¼ inch headspace. Place the lids and rings on and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath at sea level or adjust for your elevation.
Remove the jars from the water bath. Allow them to sit on the counter for 24 hours then check if they sealed properly. The center will be indented down if they are. If not, place any unsealed jars in the refrigerator and use them right away.
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.
If you have any questions about how to use a boiling water canner take a look at our canning basics videos.
