Stop the presses and hold the phone! The cherries are ripe and need picking. Does it matter if it is nearly 100 degrees outside today? No. Does it matter if this is my wedding anniversary. NO! What does matter is that I had to pick cherries this morning before the birds ate them.
That is not the end of the story because, of course, I had to pit them, wash them, cook and can them. It was an all day process. We had only half of the amount of cherry crop we had last year, but I still picked about 3 gallons.
The end result is very satisfying. I have 12 jars of cherry jam, 3 quarts and 6 pints of cherries in syrup.
Since I haven't posted a recipe in a long time, I am giving you, Dear Readers, an easy Cooked Tart Cherry Jam recipe.
4 Cups pitted sour cherry pulp
4+3/4 Cups sugar
1 Box of Sure Jell
1/2 t. butter
1/4 t. almond extract
Follow the Sure Jell directions carefully. Be sure to time the boiling process exactly.
Pour jam into hot sterile canning jars, seal and water bath for 10-15 minutes.
Note: As you can see in my picture, there is a little cherry pitter in the shape of a little man. I bought him in a trendy kitchen shop and paid too much money for him. I say that because- it doesn't work! What does work is holding the cherry in one hand (over a bowl) and squeezing out the seed into another bowl. You do that a million times until all your cherries are pit-free. It takes a long time. A very long time. If (horrors) you miss a seed, they usually float to the top during the cooking process. Believe me, it is not a fun experience to bite into your fresh cherry cobbler and break a tooth on a seed.
The cherries on my tree are still very tiny. I can't believe you have some big enough to pick!
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