My Secret to A-MA-ZING Cherry Jam!

By -
This week I was picking cherries with my buddy Tracy and her kids. The Sour Cherries were ready, almost 6 weeks ahead of normal, thanks to the early heat wave.

Sour cherries are different than sweet - they are not good eating cherries but are great for baking and jams!

WHY do I go through this minor hassle to make home made jam?

Let's look at cost first:
The average jar of jam at the grocery store is $4.00 -- using FREE fruit, sale priced sugar and the jars I already have, I can make a jar for about $.10 each, saving over 97%. This may not seem like much but I make over 50 jars of assorted jams in the summer, so it saves me over $200 a year.

Now let's talk taste:
A-MA-ZING. You can taste the freshness in home made jam. Sugar is a natural preservative and better for you than all the long words that you can't pronounce! Give the jars a quick, 15 minute hot water bath and they are shelf stable for 2 years!

Giftabillity?
You betcha! It really doesn't take much time to make the actual jam - it takes the longest to pick the berries/cherries/rhubarb and top/pit/slice it. Add a little colored fabric and ribbon to the top and it's a gourmet treat that is sure to be enjoyed!
:)

My recipe is similar to the one you see on the Sure Jell packages - but one "secret".

Start with all the yummy cherries!
Pit them... 
Aren't they beautiful?
Pop them into your chopper... 
Go crazy until you have 4 cups worth!
Pop them into your pan...
Add 5 cups of sugar. 
Stir it in and then... 
add the secret ingredient!
Yup - a teaspoon of Almond Extract!
Do NOT get the imitation here -- go for the real stuff.
It's worth it - honest!
Now bring to a full boil, while stirring -
and after about 2 minutes, add one box of Sure-Jell
Boil an additional minute or two, while stirring.
Then, remove from heat and ladle into hot, clean jars.
(I do them in the dishwasher)
Make sure you have a towel or hot mits on when you place the tops on them, and I pop them,
upside down, on a cooling rack until I get them all done.
Then, into the water bath they go, for 10 minutes.
You can see that I use different sized jars,
I leave the larger ones in the water bath for 5 additional mintues...
they are the ones WE keep, the smaller ones are the "giftables". 
I also made my Rhubarb - Pineapple Jam this week!
You can get the recipe HERE

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Cookie Recipe #21 - Butter Rich Spritz

By -
Image
Cookie Exchange Parties are SO MUCH FUN - for a few simple reasons:You get together with your friends You make only ONE kind of cookie and finish your holiday baking, after swapping out You get new recipes You often have snacks or games! That being said, I do one every year - in December, about 2 weeks before Christmas. (You can read about it HERE or see a TV segment I did on it http://youtu.be/-iUR7GlAiQw ). I thought it would be fun to have a collection of 30 fun recipes to try - one a day in November - so you can be prepared for that holiday baking! Today's recipe idea comes from Book Cooking. net Ingredients 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup butter, softened 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar 2 egg yolks 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Directions Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Sift together the flour and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Stir in the egg yolks,
Read more

Chili Dog Casserole

By -
Image
I know this sounds strange -- and yummy at the same time, LOL You need to know the family history to "get it". We are part German, part English, part Irish and part Tennessee Hillbilly. Seriously. Did you ever see that black and white movie of Gary Cooper's called Sergeant York? Yes, my family comes from the Dyer/Yorks -- same family. Some of the "family recipes" are too far out there for even me to try... But this is a pot luck favorite. SUPER Easy and SUPER Easy to make healthier. We choose the middle of the road option, LOL You need:  1 package hot dog buns (8 ct) 1 package hot dogs 2 cups chili (or 1 can) 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese "fixins" That's it! You could do gluten free or whole grain wheat buns, turkey or tofu dogs, vegetarian chili, vegan or light cheese, you get the drift. We do white buns, cut them up and place in the 9x13 pan, like you see here: Then you dice up the hot dogs
Read more

Forget The Resolutions Giveaway Hop!

By -
Image
Forget The Resolutions Giveaway Hop January 21 - 26, 2012 Hosted by Planet Weidknecht and Going Crazy!!Wanna Go?? It's been three weeks since you've made all those resolutions.It's said that it takes 21 days to make a new habit, so you've probably already broken your New Year's Resolutions. I say - FORGET THE RESOLUTIONS ! Let's have a giveaway hop instead! The Forget The Resolutions Giveaway Hop runs from January 21 @ 12:01 a.m. EST to January 26 @ 11:59 p.m. EST. Each blogger is hosting their own giveaway of at least $20.00. After you enter my giveaway, be sure to visit the other blogs and enter theirs too!
Read more