Jam, jellies & marmalade
Practical Action
Cherry jam
Ingredients (to make 2.3kg jam):
1.8kg stoned cherries
Juice of 3 lemons (about 135ml or 9tbsp)
1.4kg sugar
Preparation of the fruit
Wash the cherries and drain well.
Remove the stones from the centre.
Either leave the cherries whole (minus the stone) or cut into half or quarters
Crack a few of the cherry stones and remove the kernels (optional step).
Weigh the cherries and place in a pan together with the lemon juice and kernels.
Preparation of the jars and lids
For glass jars: Wash the jars and lids and put them into a large saucepan.
Fill the saucepan with water so that the jars and lids are covered and heat until the water boils.
Let the water boil for about 5 minutes.
Remove the jars and turn upside down so that the water can all drain out.
DO NOT dry them with a dirty cloth.
If you are using recycled plastic jars, clean them with a solution of chlorinated water (100ppm).
Turn upside down so all the water can drain out.
Heat treatment and addition of sugar
Cook over a low heat for about 45 minutes until the cherries are soft. Stir with a wooden spoon to
prevent burning at the bottom of the pan.
Remove from the heat. Add the sugar and stir until it is dissolved.
Bring to the boil. Boil rapidly for about 30 minutes until the jam is set (use a refractometer if
available, a jam thermometer or the drop test). Stir with a wooden spoon to prevent burning.
Filling and packaging
Cool the jam to about 85°C and pour into the hot sterilised jars. The jars should be hot when
they are filled or they may crack.
Fill the jars to about 9/10ths of their volume. Place the clean lids onto the jars, fasten them
loosely and invert the jars to sterilise the lid with the hot jam.
If you are using plastic jars, let the jam cool to about 80°C before pouring into the jars.
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