Sour Cherry Jam!

I found this oh so yummy recipe on one of our very favorite blogs:

I think I am going to give this a try...on Saturday...if I can find cherries...that are good... :)

Click on the links (underlined words) to go to her blog or the original recipe post.

Life of June Cleaver

("June Cleaver" is so creative, and her posts are always interesting, fun, and delightful to read! Plus she does great product reviews and giveaways!)

~Sour Cherry Jam~

 I can't believe its already August! I have been busy in my kitchen, making lots of preserves before the summer comes to an end. I don't think there is anything better than having homemade jams in your pantry in the middle of a cold winter!  Today, I made sour cherry jam. I must say, the cherries were so sweet, though, I hesitate to call it "sour"!
First, I had to pit the cherries. I was careful to wear gloves or I would have been walking around with stained red hands all week long! That would not have been a good time. Next, I had to boil the cherries with a bit of apple juice.

Boiling the Cherries

 I then added one box of powdered pectin for unsweetened jams and jellies-I love it because it makes it possible to eliminate the sugar in any recipe, so you can use honey, sugar substitutes or just a bit of sugar if you want, provided that you are certain to add lemon juice, as it adds to the jellying process to firm up the preserves. I also added 1/2 tsp of unsalted butter to reduce foaming. Once it was at a full rolling boil, I was good to go. I fillled the pre-prepared jars using my funnel (a must have if you are canning!), cleaned the rims and then boiled them in my canning water bath.

Filling Up the Jars

Jars Filled with Hot Sour Cherry Jam-Yum!

Now, Tiny and I have been decorating our jars. We have been having fun with the fabrics but haven't figured out what labels to use just yet. That is the fun part for us! I hope we can figure that one out before we eat all of this awesome jam!

The Finished Product (Minus Labels!