Food & Cooking Recipes Healthy Recipes Gluten-Free Recipes Cherry Preserves 4.3 (20) Learn how to make shelf-stable cherry preserves with our step-by-step recipe. Close Credit: Christopher Testani Prep Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr Total Time: 1 hr 45 mins Servings: 64 Yield: 4 half-pint jars Jump to recipe Equal parts tart and sweet, this recipe for cherry preserves lets you enjoy the fruit all year round. Make it when cherries are in season, between May and July, for the best results. The juicy red orbs are abundant, reasonably priced, and ripe with flavor during this time. You can use sweet or tart cherries, or a combination of the two. If you're new to preserving fruit, rest assured that it's easier than it seems. Our tutorial breaks down every step of the water bath canning process, including how to sanitize jars. Once preserved, this cherry recipe will last for about one year in a cool, dark place. Enjoy it with ice cream, toast, cheesecake, or a bowl of yogurt. You could even pair it with savory preparations, such as pork chops and salmon, or serve it alongside a charcuterie board. How to Store Cherries to Keep Them Sweet and Fresh Equipment Needed for Cherry Preserves Large stockpot: A large stockpot or canning pot is necessary to sanitize the empty jars and process them once filled. While you won't need a lid for either step, covering the pot as the water is heating can speed up the process. Round wire rack: When preserving in a water bath, it's essential to use a rack to keep the jars from sitting on the bottom of the pot. This both helps to ensure they don't break and also allows the water to evenly circulate around them. If your pot did not come with a wire rack, you can use a round rack from a pressure cooker or try this improvised method: Arrange several screw bands (the ones that come with canning lids) into a circle roughly the size of the bottom of your pot and place one in the center; secure them to one another with zip ties. Place this in the bottom of the pot before adding your jars. Tongs: It's essential to use tongs to carefully remove the filled jars from the simmering water. Canning tongs are your best bet, but you can use regular tongs in a pinch. To enhance their grip, wrap a few rubber bands around the grippy ends. Canning jars: You'll need four half-pint jars with lids and screw bands for this recipe. Do not use plastic jars or containers that aren't meant for preserving. Instant-read or candy thermometer: Use an instant-read or candy thermometer to tell when the cherry mixture has reached 220 degrees Fahrenheit, which is when you'll check for gelling. Do not use a meat thermometer as they are not designed to reach such high temperatures. How to Pit Cherries The easiest way to pit cherries is with a cherry pitter, but if you don't have one, give one of these methods a try: Chopstick or metal straw: Use either of these to force the pit out of the cherry. You can try placing the cherry on the opening of a wine bottle and pressing straight down with either tool, which should cause the pit to fall into the bottle.Metal pastry tip: Use the narrow end of a pastry or piping tip to push the pit out.Chef's knife: Place a cherry on your cutting board and use the flat side of a chef's knife to flatten the cherry and squeeze the pit out. (This is bound to get a bit messy as it will release more juice than the other methods but will still be effective.) Directions Prepare stockpot and rack: Place a round wire rack in the bottom of a large stockpot. The rack should fit as snugly as possible and should stand 1/2 to 1 inch above the bottom of the pot. Add jars: Stand the four jars on the rack, and add the lids; it's not necessary to add the screw bands. Simmer jars: Fill pot with enough water to cover jars by 1 to 2 inches; an additional 1 to 2 inches of space should remain below the rim of the pot so the water doesn't overflow. Bring water to a simmer (180°F) let lids and jars simmer 10 minutes or until you're ready to fill them. Place four small plates in the freezer. Cook cherries, sugar, and lemon juice: In a medium stockpot, combine the cherries, 1/4 cup sugar, and lemon juice; place over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar has dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in one-third of the remaining sugar, and cook, stirring, until it has dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the sugar in two more batches, stirring each batch until sugar has dissolved. Boil cherry mixture: Bring the mixture to a full boil, and cook, stirring frequently, 10 minutes. Place a candy thermometer in mixture, and cook, stirring frequently, until temperature registers 220°F, 30 to 40 minutes. While cooking, skim any foam that floats to the surface. Check for gelling: With the temperature at 220°F, perform a gel test: Remove one of the plates from the freezer, and place a spoonful of the jam on it. Return the plate to freezer, and wait 1 minute. Remove plate from freezer, and gently nudge the edge of the jam with one finger. If the jam is ready, it will wrinkle slightly when pushed. If it is not ready, it will be too thin to wrinkle. If the jam does not wrinkle on the first attempt, cook 2 or 3 minutes more, and repeat the gel test. Fill jars with jam: Once the jam has gelled properly, remove stockpot from heat. Using canning tongs, remove a jar from the simmering water, and empty the water back into the stockpot. Place the jar on a clean surface, and insert a canning funnel. Using a ladle, pour the jam through the funnel into the jar; fill to within 1/4 inch of the rim. Remove the funnel; wipe the rim with a clean damp towel. Add lids: Using the tongs, lift a lid from the hot water; place lid, sealant side down, on the filled jar. Screw down the band, and tighten firmly, being careful not to force it. With the tongs, stand filled jar in simmering water. Repeat with the remaining jam and jars, making sure jars aren't touching sides of pot and are spaced 1 inch apart. Process jars: Raise the heat to high, cover stockpot, and bring water to a boil. Process jars in boiling water for 10 minutes. Using tongs, transfer jars to a wire rack to cool completely. When removing the finished jars from the water, try to keep them as upright as possible. Tilting the jar can cause liquid to enter between the rim and lid which can keep the seal from fully forming. Storage Store cherry preserves in a cool, dark place for up to one year. Once a jar is opened, keep it in the refrigerator for up to six months. Recipe Variations Try using lime juice instead of lemon juice for a slightly different flavor. To make a cherry vanilla version, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of vanilla bean paste to the fruit. Try These Other Cherry Recipes: Martha's Sour Cherry Pie Sour-Cherry Cobbler Cherry Sheet Cake Sour Cherry Lemonade Cherry-Cheesecake Celebration Bombe Cherry-Raspberry Semifreddo Roasted Cherries With Tofu "Panna Cotta" Sour-Cherry Crumble Bars Garden Salad With Herbs and Sour-Cherry Dressing Cherry Bounce Cocktail Grilled Tilapia With Cherry Salsa Frequently Asked Questions Can I reuse jars for canning? Yes, you can reuse jars and screw bands, just make sure both are free of any dents or nicks. However, it's important to use a fresh lid each time for a proper seal. How will I know if a jar is properly sealed? A jar that's properly sealed will not spring up if pressed down in the center. The lid should also be concave (curved down slightly in the center). Note that it can take up to 12 hours for jars to properly seal. Can I reprocess jars that do not seal? Yes, you can try reprocessing jars that don't seal after 12 hours (but be sure to do this within 24 hours of first processing). Place new lids on any unsealed jars and reprocess following the same instructions as the first time. Refrigerate any jars that don't seal after reprocessing. Updated by Kirsten Nunez Kirsten Nunez Kirsten Nunez is a writer who focuses on food, health, nutrition, and DIY. She has a master's degree in nutrition, and has been writing professionally for nearly 10 years for digital and print publications, such as decorvow, Shape, Real Simple, Healthline, and SELF. She also creates original recipes, which have appeared on product packaging in stores. and Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.