Lemony Cherry Jam

Cherry Jam is my very favorite flavor of jam. It probably has something to do with cherries being my favorite fruit. When we went to California for my cousin's graduation there was a guy selling cherries on the side of the road. They were a overpriced but still less than what they are in the grocery store (cherries are so expensive!) and I just couldn't help myself.



When the jam was cooking I tasted it and although it was amazingly delicious, I wanted to add something to lighten up the flavor a bit. I decided to add some lemon and it turned out perfectly and has quickly become my new favorite cherry jam recipe.

Ingredients:

8 c. pitted cherries
5 c. sugar
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 box pectin

Before you start cooking your jam, fill up your water bath canner and turn on the burner, it takes awhile to bring it to a boil. Wash your jars in hot soapy water or on the sanitize cycle of your dishwasher. Put your lids in a small pot and warm them up on the stove so the rubber becomes soft, do not boil them.

Add cherries and sugar to a large non-reactive pot. Stir so the sugar mixes with the juices from the fruit. Bring to a boil and cook for a good 20 minutes. 

Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and pectin and let jam boil for 5 more minutes. It should be a "rolling" boil, where even if you stir, it's still boiling.

Turn off the burner, skim the foam from the top of the jam and fill your jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace.

Wipe rims of jars with a wet cloth and then dry, apply lids and bands and process for 10 minutes. When your 10 minutes is up, remove your jars from the canner and wait for the little "pop" that they've sealed. If any of them don't seal (it shouldn't take very long to know if they haven't) pop them in the fridge and use within a few weeks.