Inspired by David Lebovitz and Otago cherries.
To add to my southern fruits jam making portfolio is cherry jam. It's cherry season and I got given a whole lot from Tim, our neighbour, today. They are almost on the point of fermentation and they certainly smell alcoholic, but that said for jam making it doesn't matter if the fruit is turning into eau de vie or growing green whiskers. The riper the better, although firmer is better tasting.
Ok.Stand back. This is gonna get messy.
Ingredients
3 pounds of cherries 1.35 Kg (or any fruit donated from someone with a stone fruit tree and generosity)*
3 cups of sugar*
2 lemons*
*for cost see Elderflower recipe
* I have left letters in people's letterboxes with precious fruit laden trees in Auckland, asking wether they would mind sharing 1kg of their glorious fruit in exchange for a jar of plum sauce, apricot jam, chutney etc. Usually if you ask and ask nicely it does work and even a way to get to know your community better:)
Method
Before you panic, remember that your grandmother made lots of things without recipes and without measuring everything down to the last tenth of a teaspoon.
Definitely wear something red. Or black.
1. Rinse the cherries and remove the stems. Make sure to remove all the pits. Chop about ¾ of them into smaller pieces, but not too small.
2. Cook the cherries in a large pot. It should be pretty big since the juices bubble up. Add the zest and juice of one or two fresh lemons. Lemon juice adds pectin as well as acidity, and will help the jam gel later on.
3. Cook the cherries, stirring once in a while with a heatproof spatula, until they're wilted and completely soft, which may take about 20 minutes, depending on how much heat you give them. Aren't they beautiful, all juicy and red?
4.Once they're cooked, add 3 1/4 cups of sugar. It may seem like a lot, but that amount of sugar is necessary to keep the jam from sprouting green whiskers after a few weeks in the refrigerator.
5. Stir the sugar and the cherries in the pot and cook over moderate-to-high heat. The best jam is cooked quickly. While it's cooking, put a small white plate in the freezer. Remain vigilant and stir the fruit often with a heatproof utensil. (Wouldn't it be a shame to burn it at this point?) Scrape the bottom of the pot as you stir as well.
6. Once the bubbles subside and the jam appears a bit thick and looks beginning to gel, (it will coat the spatula in a clear, thick-ish, jelly-like layer, but not too thick) turn off the heat and put a small amount of jam on the frozen plate and return to the freezer. After a few minutes, when you nudge it if it wrinkles, it's done.
7. Sanitise jars by placing them in the oven at 220 degrees for ten minutes. Throw the lids into boiling water for five minutes.
8. Pour jam into jars when they are still hot and close with lids.
