If you don’t have the time now, freeze the juice or even better, freeze the cherries and extract the juice sometime later. Cherry retains its lovely color and later on, you can make wine from it or jelly. Lovely, smooth, crystal clear cherry jelly…
CHERRY JELLY
3-3/4 cups cherry juice (2.5 QT) 7 cups sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 pouches CERTO Liquid Pectin
Jelly bag
To make own jelly bag, use a square meter of cheesecloth, 3 layers thick.
Wet cloth and spread over a colander or strainer in a bowl.
Add fruit.
Bring corners of cloth together.
Twist bag or cloth and squeeze to extract juice.
• Stem, hull and puree fully ripe fruit in the food processor.
• To extract juice, place prepared in jelly bag and squeeze.
• For clearer jelly, use 1-1/2 times fruit called for and let juice drip through without squeezing.
• Meanwhile bring boiling-water canner, half full with water, to simmer.
• Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water.
• Drain jars well before filling.
• Pour 3-3/4 cups cherry juice into a large Dutch pot.
• If insufficient juice, add up to 1/2 cup of water.
• Add the and the lemon juice.
• Bring mixture to full rolling boil on high heat.
• Boil for 1 minute.
• Remove from heat and stir in the pectin.
• Stir and skim off foam with metal spoon for five minutes.
• Meanwhile to soften the seals, pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan
• Let stand in hot water until ready to use.
• Ladle jam immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops.
• Use a jam funnel; it will save you from mucky jars and endless wiping up.
• Wipe jar rims and threads.
• Cover with two-piece lids and screw bands tightly.
• Process the jars by the canner method or the Oven method or by the Dry Pack Method. [Included here]
• Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely.
• After jars cool, check seals by pressing middles of lids with finger.
• If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.
