To start the canning process I had to do some research. I learned that there are two ways to can: water bath and pressure cooker. If your food is high in acid (fruits, tomatoes, pickles, etc.) you can use the water bath method. I'll tackle the pressure cooker another time!
To start, I had to get messy! Here I am using my new gadget - the cherry pitter!
It took me a little while but I found it was a great way to relax. I put on my favorite radio station (JOY FM 99.1) and spent some time with Jesus! After that I had a bowl full of cherries!
Once the cherries were pitted, it was a breeze! I started with 6 cups of cherries in a pot. I turned the burner on medium heat. While that was heating up, I had my HUGE stockpot full of water - had to get it ready to boil! To the cherries I added 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice, and 1/2 cup of apple juice. Once that was stirred in and warm, I added 6 Tablespoons of pectin. Once the pectin was incorporated, I stirred in 2 cups of sugar. You can add more if you want it sweeter but I found that the cherries, with the apple juice, was sweet enough.
As I'm worked on the cherries I was also preparing the jars for canning. I simply put the jars in the hot water for a minute or so to get them hot. I also put in the jar lids and seals. You need to make sure the seals are put in hot water right before you need them because you are actually loosening up the gummy part of the seal.
Once you have all of the ingredients in the pot, the cherries need to come to a roiling boil for 2 minutes. A roiling boil is one where it doesn't stop boiling even while you are stirring. When that was finished, I used a canning funnel to add the cherries to my hot jars. I filled them to the top, leaving only 1/4 inch head space.
Once you have filled the jars, I took a spoon and stirred it around in the jar. You want to make sure you don't have any pockets of air. After that, I took a paper towel and wiped the rims of the jars. Then, I put the seals and tightened the lid.
The final step is to put the jars in boiling water and leave them to process for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, I took the jars out and set them on a cooling rack. Very quickly I heard the "pop, pop, pop" of the cans. As they cool, they create a vacuum seal. Once the jars cooled, I pressed on the lid to make sure they were tight. If you are able to press and the lid gives a little, the jar didn't process. You can try to process it again in the water bath or simply refrigerate and use that jar first!
This was super easy! Anyone can do this! If you don't feel like pitting the cherries, you can use frozen, or try another fruit. There are some great recipes for jams and jellies!
I love Pinterest and find most of my recipes there. I also purchased Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving. There are so many ideas and variations out there. Go ahead - try it!
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