Whole Sweet or Sour Cherries

By Hklbrries

Note: To make a canner load of 7 quart jars, you’ll need about 17 1/2 pounds cherries.

Note: See "Canning - The Fruits of Summer's Labor" in this collection.

Ingredients

• 11 pounds cherries
• Sugar syrup or canning liquid of your choice
• 9 pint-size canning jars, lids and screw bands

Details

Servings 9

Preparation

Step 1

Stem and wash cherries. Remove pits if desired. If pitted, place cherries in ascorbic acid solution to prevent stem-end discoloration. If canned unpitted, prick skins on opposite sides with a clean needle to prevent splitting. Cherries may be canned in water, apple juice, white grape juice or syrup. If syrup is desired, select and prepare preferred sweetness.

For a hot pack, combine ½ cup water, juice or syrup for each quart of drained fruit in a saucepan and bring to boil. Fill jars with drained cherries and cooking liquid, leaving ½-inch headspace.

For raw pack, add ½ cup hot water, juice or syrup to each jar. Fill jars with drained cherries, shaking down gently as you fill. Add more hot liquid, leaving ½-inch headspace.

Adjust lids and process. Hot-packed pints should be processed for 15 minutes, quarts 20 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Raw-pack pints or quarts should be processed for 25 minutes, adjusting for altitude.

Note: To make a canner load of 7 quart jars, you’ll need about 17 1/2 pounds cherries.