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Tart Cherry Jam Recipe – jam made from sour cherries that taste fresh and has a jelly like texture. Use it as a filling for donuts, cakes or add to yogurt parfaits or on top of pancakes.
Sour cherries
You either love them or hate them. There certainly are some ways to preserve and enjoy them. They could be difficult to consume on their own, even when perfectly ripe, because of their sourness. But by adding sweetener to them, you can make a flavorful jam that doesn’t taste as sour.
I’ve recently started making my jams using the same method over and over again with a few small differences.
One – altering the amount of sugar depending on the type of fruit used and its ripeness. Two – either using pectin or not.
For this homemade sour cherry jam I used slightly more sugar that I’d normally do with sweet cherries and I did use pectin to make its texture jelly like.
Sour or tart cherries contain substances that may reduce swelling and act as anti oxidants.
You may not be able to eat a huge amount of them when they are ripe, due to their tartness, but you can make a jam, sauce or compote with them.
Use this homemade jam in cakes, on toast, pancakes or crepes.
How much sugar to add to tart cherry jam?
I used 600 grams of white sugar per 1 kilogram of pitted sour cherries. If you prefer jams, that are on the sweet side, you may add up to 1 kg of sugar per 1 kg of pitter tart cherries. I personally prefer tart jams and 500-600 grams of sugar is more than enough for me.
Cherries don’t have too much natural pectin
You may already know this, but cherries are among the fruits without too much natural pectin (like most stone fruits). This means that making a cherry jam that sets easily can be tricky. It is not impossible without using pectin, but I’ve personally made this jam with or without pectin and i prefer the thick, jelly-like version with pectin.
How to tell the jam is done?
You can test jam for doneness by using a kitchen thermometer – the temperature needs to be 105 F.
You can also put a glass plate in the freezer for 15 minutes. When you think the jam is done, remove it from the heat and drop a tablespoon of it on the cold plate. Let it cool for 2 minutes. Push your finger through the jam on the plate – it needs to wrinkle and not flood back in to fill the gap. This means that the jam is done. If it appears to be too runny, simmer it for 3-5-10 minutes longer (keeping an eye on it).
Difference between fruit preserves and jam
What is fruit preserves? And what is fruit jam? Are they really the same thing? How do they differ?
Preserves generally has more fruit in it than jam. Jams have pieces of fruit, that are either chopped or crushed with fruit juice. Preserves are mostly chopped or crushed fruit with a little bit of fruit juice.
How to make sour (tart) cherry jam (with pectin)?
In a deep pot combine the sour cherries and sugar. Bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes.
In a small bowl combine the pectin and sugar. Add to the jam, stir and cook for 3 more minutes.
Fill hot clean jars with jam and close the lids.
Sterilize in a canning pot for 15 minutes. Keep for up to 1 year in a cool and dry place.
More jam recipes:
Tart Cherry Jam
Ingredients
- 1 kg pitted sour cherries
- 600 grams sugar
- 1 tbsp pectin + 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract, optional
Instructions
- In a deep pot combine the sour cherries and sugar. Bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes.
- In a small bowl combine the pectin and sugar. Add to the jam, stir and cook for 3 more minutes.
- Fill hot clean jars with jam and close the lids.
- Sterilize in a canning pot for 15 minutes. Keep for up to 1 year in a cool and dry place.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Oh wonderful! Love the sound of pairing cherry jam with chocolate cake.
Gotta try this looks so good
What size jar does the recipe use? 1/2 pint? Pint? 500ml?
330 ml