Tart Cherry Jelly

By allie5jones

Ingredients

• 4 3/4 cups sugar
• 3 cups fresh cherry juice
• 1 box powdered fruit pectin
• 1/2 cup water

Preparation

Step 1

Add sugar to 1 1/4 cups cherry juice; stir thoroughly. Slowly add pectin to water. Heat almost to boiling point, stirring constantly. Pour hot pectin into remaining 1 3/4 cups cherry juice. Stir until pectin is dissolved. Let pectin mixture stand 15 minutes, but stir it occasionally. Add the juice-sugar mixture; stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour into containers; cover with tight lids. Let stand at room temperature until set, overnight or at least 6 hours. Freeze or refrigerate. Makes 5-6 half-pints.
Frozen cherries may be used. Grind whole frozen cherries and thaw. Pour into jelly bag and allow juice to drain. Squeeze bag to obtain maximum quantity of juice. If juice is from commercially frozen cherries, reduce sugar to 4 1/4 cups.