Canning Sweet Cherries Without Sugar Food

CANNING CHERRIES

Steps:

• Prepare a very large pot or bowl of water that has been acidulated (by adding lemon juice or ascorbic acid.)
• Wash the cherries, stem them, and pit them.
• Place pitted cherries in that acidulated water to prevent the exposed flesh from browning.
• Continue until all your cherries are prepped.
• Remove cherries from water, drain well.
• Measure them as you put them into a pot.
• For each 750 g (1 litre / 1 quart / 4 cups volume / 1 1/2 lbs) of fruit you put into the pot, you will add 125 ml (1/2 cup / 4 oz) of water.
• Bring this pot to a boil and let simmer for a few minutes until all cherries are heated through (don't cook them.)
• Pack cherries into jars.
• Leave 3 cm (1 inch) headspace.
• Top up with the water you boiled them in from the pot or if there isn't enough, clean boiling water (such as from a kettle, for instance).
• Leave 2 cm (1/2 inch) headspace after being filled with liquid.
• Debubble, adjust headspace.
• Wipe jar rims.
• Put lids on.
• Process in a water bath or steam canner.
• Processing time: 1/2 litre (US pint) jars for 15 minutes; litre (US quart) jars for 20 minutes. Increase time as needed for your altitude.

CHERRY JAM RECIPE WITHOUT PECTIN AND LOW SUGAR

Steps:

• Wash, remove stems, and pit cherries. A cherry pitter is highly advised
• Roughly chop up cherries. Place chopped cherries in a large stock pot. Add 1/2 cup water to cherries. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You'll see the cherries begin to break down and thicken.
• Stir in sugar and lemon juice, mixing well. Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Sugar will scorch quickly if not kept moving. Boil, uncovered, till thick, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into hot sterilized jars.
• Note: It's set when it sticks to the back of a metal spoon. This is called sheeting. Look at the jam dripping off the edge of the spoon. It should look like a "sheet" of jam, not a bunch of individual drops. Cherry jam is not meant to be extremely thick. It's a thinner jam, excellent on pancakes, waffles, toast, etc.
• Wipe rims with a damp towel, put on lids and bands. Submerge in hot water bath and process for 15 minutes *increase processing time for high altitude (see note section). Take off of heat and let sit for 5 minutes before moving to a folded towel. Let sit for at least 12 hours before checking seals on jars. Then store in a cool dark place for up to a year. If any jars didn't set, store in fridge.
• Make 2 pints or 4 eight ounce jelly jars.

SUGAR-FREE CHERRY JAM

Steps:

• Wash jars, bands, and lids well. Place jam jars in water bath canner filled 1/2 way with water. Bring water to a rolling boil. Turn off the burner and leave jars in canner until ready to use.
• Place lids and bands in water in a small saucepan and heat until water simmers. keep lids & bands in warm water until ready to use.
• If using fresh cherries, pit before adding to a large saucepan. If using frozen measure and just pour right in.
• Add lemon juice and calcium water and blend in well.
• In a bowl add allulose and pectin and blend well.
• Heat the cherries in the saucepan over medium heat. As they start to soften, mash with the back of a fork, or use a potato masher. I like to leave a few whole cherries in my jam, but mash to the consistency that you like. Bring cherries to a boil.
• Add pectin-sweetener mixture, continuing to mix for 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve the pectin while the jam comes back up to a boil. Boil for 1 full minute once the jam reaches the boiling stage.
• Fill jam jars to ¼" to the top. Clean rims with a clean cloth. Add lids and twist bands until finger tight.
• Add jars to the water bath canner when the water in the canner reaches a full boil. Boil 10 full minutes (add 1 minute more for every 1,000 ft. above sea level).
• Remove from water. Let jars cool undisturbed for 24 hours.
• Test for seal, if a jar did not seal, you can reprocess it again in the canner for 10 full minutes, or add that jar to the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

CANNED MARASCHINO CHERRIES

Steps:

• Brine cherries by bringing 6 cups of water to a boil and adding 3 tablespoons of sea salt; use a salt with no additives to ensure glossy-looking fruit (table salt can have all kinds of things in it). Remove brine from heat. Halve and pit the cherries, adding them as you go to the still-warm liquid, then let the cherries sit in liquid overnight, at least, in the fridge.
• Once the cherries are brined, bring the sugar, lime juice, and 3 cups of water to a simmer in a saucepan. Add the mashed cherries for a deeper, natural color (however, the cherries look pretty cool and slightly alien without it). Let this mixture reduce by a third, then cool. Drain the cherries and rinse them of brine. In a large, airtight jar, add the sugar mixture and the drained cherries. Top with at least a cup of Maraska maraschino liqueur, available at many downtown liquor stores, or substitute a spirit like bourbon or brandy. Because the cherries are preserved in alcohol, a snap-shut glass jar with a rubber gasket works just fine. They will easily keep in your refrigerator for a few months.

CHERRY CRISP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• In a 2 Quart Baking Dish, combine frozen cherries and Gentle Sweet. Mix well, to coat the cherries.
• In a separate bowl, mix all the topping ingredients together, then pour over the cherries.
• Bake for 30 minutes, or until topping begins to turn golden brown.

CANNING CHERRIES

Steps:

• Start by preparing jars and getting water in the canner heating. You want the canner hot, but not boiling, when the jars are ready to be processed.See full water bath canning instructions here. 1. Make a light or medium syrup. 2. Wash and pit cherries. 3. Proceed with raw or hot pack.