Pin Cherry Jelly

Well, I admit it…I am tired of making jams and jellies.  I have stemmed and cleaned and washed and scrubbed litres upon litres of wild berries this season and my hands are stained from the dark coloured juice.  But, is it worth it?  YES.  It was all worth it and asked if I’d do it again…I’d say YES!

We are fortunate to have good friends who have wild pin cherry trees growing on their property.  Beautiful trees ladled with fruit draping from every branch.  It really is a wonderous sight…and the birds can only forge so much.  So, we decided to help them out.  After picking 18 litres of pin cherries which I then stemmed we were able to make several jars of jelly.  We decided to go pectin free which we do most of the time with berries that are higher in natural pectin and it seems to work out just fine.  A little longer to boil but not too much longer.

OUR RECIPE FOR PIN CHERRY JELLY:

• Makes 7 x 250mL
• Approximately 18 cups of pin cherries
• 5 cups pin cherry juice
• 8 cups sugar

1. Wash cherries and place into a deep stainless steel saucepan with water and cook over low heat for 20-30 minutes or until all of the cherries have popped their skins
2. Strain the juice and pulp through a jelly bag and leave over night
3. Collect 5 cups of juice and place into a stainless steel sauce pan
4. Add sugar, mix well and bring to a boil stirring constantly to preventing sticking.  Boil hard for approximately 15 minutes or until setting point has been reached
5. Pour hot jelly into sterilized jars leaving 1/4″ headspace
6. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes

It is a dark jelly that will marry well with chicken.  Use it as a glaze or create a sauce for something different.

Put up Total:

• 3 x 250mL fancy jars
• 5 x 250mL wide mouth jars
• 6 x 250mL regular mouth jars
• Plus, Spice Pin Cherry Jelly 4 x 500mL (1 fancy)