Sweet Cherry Jam

Yield: 6 half pints

Ingredients

• 3 pounds fully ripe dark sweet cherries
• 1 (1 3/4 ounce) package regular powdered fruit pectin
• 1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 5 cups granulated sugar

Instructions

1. Sort, wash, stem, pit, and chop cherries. Measure 4 cups chopped cherries.
2. In a 6 or 8 quart Dutch oven or kettle combine cherries, pectin, lemon peel and lemon juice. Bring to boiling over high heat, stirring constantly.
3. Stir in sugar. Bring to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Quickly skim off foam with a metal spoon.
4. Immediately ladle jam into hot, sterilized half pint canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe jar rims and adjust lids.
5. Process jars in boiling-water canner for 5 minutes (start timing when water begins to boil).
6. Remove jars from canner; cool on racks.