How to Can Cherries
One of America's favorite fruits, cherries are not only delicious, but a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals. They are full of antioxidants such as Vitamins A, C and E, along with calcium, copper, phosphorus, potassium and iron. Cherries are not difficult to can, and if you prepare a few jars in the summertime, you can enjoy summer's bounty all winter long. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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1
Wash and stem the cherries and remove the pits. If you would rather not pit the cherries, poke the cherries with a fork so they don't split when they are heated.
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2
Make syrup by mixing about 8 cups of water with 4 cups of sugar in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil. Adjust the syrup to your liking, adding more sugar for a heavy syrup or for very tart cherries.
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3
Fill the jars with cherries and about 1/2 cup of the hot syrup, leaving 1/2-inch empty at the top. Wide the top of the jar with a clean cloth and put on lids and rings.
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4
Bring the water in the canner to boil. Put the full jars in the canner and process them in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes.
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5
Remove the jars from the boiling water and place them on a folded towel, leaving at least an inch between jars. Allow the jars to cool.
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Tips & Warnings
To can 7 quarts, you will need about 18 lb. of cherries
Select cherries for canning carefully. Choose bright, mature cherries that are uniform in color. Throw out cherries with imperfections.
Wash cherries before you stem them so prevent loss of the juice.
If you don't want to use sweetened syrup in your canned cherries, you can use water instead. For an unusual flavor, try canning the cherries with pineapple juice.
