Cherry Preserves

The local grocery store had dark red luscious cherries from Washington State on sale and I couldn't resist picking up a few packages.  We devoured some of them but there was enough left to make preserves.  Without much ado, this is what I did:

Two (2) lbs of washed, pitted cherries with stems removed
1 and 1/2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of sweet red wine or water
1/2 lemon, chopped
Sprigs of mint (optional)

Mix them all together in your enameled pot, bring to a boil and let it simmer.  I let my jam simmer for 45 minutes and stirred often.  I really watched that pot towards the end.


No artificial pectin was used.  Once the jam had thickened, I transferred it to one (1) jar, sealed it with wax, and put it in the cupboard.  2 lbs (1 kg) of cherries yielded 1 pint (about 2 cups = 4 dl).  Is it worth it?

To seal, I melt the wax in a double boiler and paying careful attention to that pot, too.  I simply put a pot with the wax into another pot with water and as the latter come to a boil, the wax will melt.  It does not have to be at a roiling boil.  Easy does it.

It is my belief that if I put the hot jam into sterilized jars, seal them with the wax, and put the lids on, the preserves will last a long time in the cupboard.  I believe that this is a safe method of conserving the jams, jellies, and preserves.  Some people like to give preserves a water bath and I don't have a problem with that method.  Other suggestions are welcome.

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