Homemade Cherry Jam - Without Pectin
Savor those summer cherries all year long!
Servings 18 oz
Calories 91kcal
Ingredients
- 3 lbs fresh cherries approximately 6 cups pitted
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cup sugar
Instructions
- Prep Cherries: Rinse cherries and remove any that may be bruised or discolored. Use a cherry pitter to pit cherries and then, in batches, chop up cherries on a cutting board with a large knife.
- Cook Cherries: Add the cherries, lemon juice, and sugar to a large pot and heat to medium. Bring it all to a gentle boil and then turn the heat down to medium-low to simmer. The cherries will foam, just stir occasionally to reduce the foam.Let simmer until the jam begins to gel, or when the temperature of the jam reaches 221° F.
- Can: Add to strealized canning jars and can with a water bath or store in fridge or freezer.
Notes
The nutritional value is approximately per oz or 6 servings in 1 6 oz jar.
Storage
Fridge: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 weeks.
Freezer: Store in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Canning: Use safe water bath canning methods to can and store this jam for up to 1 year in a cool dry place.
Substitutions
Cherries: You can use frozen cherries in place of fresh ones by adding the thawed berries to a bowl with lemon juice. Let it all macerate (soften) in the lemon juice first and then add to the pot with sugar.
Lemon Juice: For this recipe, we prefer to use concentrate to ensure high acidity, which can vary if using fresh lemons.
Sugar: This is a low-sugar jam because cherries themselves are very sweet and high in natural sugar. You can add up to 2 cups for a very very sweet jam.
Tips
Pot: Use a larger pot because the berries will foam as they reduce, to prevent foaming over.
Nutrition
Calories: 91kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.03g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Sodium: 0.1mg | Potassium: 169mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 48IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 0.3mg
