Preserved Cherries
Equipment
- 5 8oz Canning Jars
Ingredients
BRINE
- 4 Cups water
- 1 Tbsp kosher salt
- 4 Lbs sweet cherries
SYRUP
- All brined cherries
- 5 Cups granulated sugar 1kg
- 4 Cups water 960g
- 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3 bay leaves we’re fans of these from Burlap & Barrel
Instructions
THE BRINE
- Wash, stem and pit the cherries, placing them in a large bowl or jar. Bring the water and salt to a boil, turning the heat off and allowing it to cool for a few minutes. Pour into the cherry-filled container, cover and let it all hang out at room temperature for 10-12 hours.
THE SYRUP
- Drain the cherries and rinse them well, setting them aside in a large jar or bowl.
- Bring the sugar, water, lemon juice and bay leaves to a boil in a large sauce pot. Turn the heat off and pour over the cherries. Cover them and let them sit together in harmony, bay leaves and all, for about 24 hours.
THE FINISH LINE
- Heat the oven to 300F. Remove the lids from the jars and place them upside-down on a cookie sheet, careful not to touch the orange seal. Place the glass jars on a cookie sheet lined with a towel and place into the hot oven. Turn the oven off and let the jars sit in there until you are ready to fill them.
- Set a strainer over a large pot. Pour the cherries into the strainer, reserving the syrup in the pot. Spoon the cherries into the hot jars, packing them tightly. Bring the syrup to a boil and remove the bay leaves. Once boiling, pour the syrup over the cherries until you reach the ¼” mark on your jars. Clean any juice or cherry bits off of the top of the jars. Close the jars and prepare your water bath.
- Heat a tall stockpot filled nearly all the way with water and bring to a boil. Carefully place the jars in the pot, making sure they have 3” of water above their lids. You may need to do this in stages depending on the width of your pot. Boil for 20 minutes. Remove jars carefully from the water bath and repeat with remaining jars if needed.
