Nanking Cherry Jamjelly Food

NANKING CHERRY JELLY

Steps:

• Wash fresh cherries with cool tap water but do not soak; drain. Stem cherries and place in an 8- to 10-quart heavy Dutch oven or kettle. Barely cover cherries with water (about 3 1/2 cups). Bring to a simmer (do not boil as flavor will be less). Simmer, uncovered, about 20 minutes or until soft and the skin on the cherries starts to split, mashing cherries with a potato masher during cooking. Remove from heat.
• Place a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl. Ladle cherry mixture into the sieve. Using the back of a large spoon, press cherries through the sieve; discard seeds and cooked skins. Place the sieve or a colander lined with four layers of 100-percent-cotton cheesecloth over a large bowl. Strain cherry juice; do not squeeze cheesecloth if you want a clear jelly. Measure 3 1/2 cups liquid. Discard pulp.
• In a 4-quart heavy Dutch oven or kettle, stir together the 3 1/2 cups strained liquid and the pectin. Heat on high, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a full rolling boil (bubbles break the surface so rapidly you can't stir them down). Add sugar; stir to combine. Return to boiling; boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; quickly skim off foam by gently scooping off the top with a metal spoon.
• Ladle into hot, sterilized* half-pint standard canning jars, leaving a 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe rims; adjust lids. Process jelly in a boiling-water bath canner for 5 minutes (start timing when water returns to boiling and keep the water boiling gently during processing).
• Remove jars; cool on wire racks. When jars are completely cool (12 to 24 hours), press the center of each lid to check the seal. If dip in lid holds, the jar is sealed. If lid bounces up and down, the jar isn't sealed. (The contents of unsealed jars can be refrigerated and used within two to three days or reprocessed within 24 hours.)

NANKING CHERRY JELLY

Steps:

• Clean berries and heat to a low simmer for about 2-3 minutes (at the simmer) until they release their juice; hang over night to glean juice (I had to use my hands to squish the berries)
• Measure juice and add the same amount of sugar to a heavy pan
• Add lemon juice
• Bring to a boil, skimming any foam from the top; add pectin after it has boiled for 2 minutes and all sugar is dissolved
• Boil for one more minute; ladle into hot, clean jars and seal

NANKING CHERRY JAM/JELLY

Steps:

• To make Juice.
• Combine cherries, apple and water in a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 35 minutes. Mash mixture occasionally while cooking.
• Strain through a cheesecloth for 8 hours for jelly, or squeeze through a colander to remove the seeds for jam.
• Bring 4 cups of juice/pulp to full rolling boil and boil for 2 minutes.
• Add 3 1/2 - 4 cups of sugar, mix well.
• Bring back to a full rolling boil and boil for 4 minutes.
• Add 1 pouch of liquid pectin and lemon juice.
• Stir for 5 minutes.
• Pour into hot sterile jars, process for 5 minutes or put into freezer when cool. This may take up to 24 hours to set.

NANKING CHERRY JELLY

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 225 F. Place a plate in the freezer. Wash and set jars upside down in a tray with about an inch of water in it . Place in oven for ten minutes.
• Add corresponding washed lids and rings to a pot with enough water to cover them all. Boil for 5 minutes and keep hot until ready to use.
• Add cherry juice, box of powdered pectin, and lemon juice to a large pot.
• Measure out the sugar to have it ready.
• Bring cherry juice to a boil and add sugar all at once. Stir well.
• Bring to a good rolling boil for about a minute. Test a drop of jelly on the cold plate to see if it sets. If it doesn't, boil longer and keep on testing on a freezing cold plate until it does. This could take anywhere from 5-20 minutes.
• Remove the pot from the stove and skim off the foam for a few minutes.
• Fill each jar to within 1 cm of the top, taking care not to get any jelly on the rims (a funnel is useful here).
• Place lid on jar, then tighten lid on until it is just on. Do not over tighten the lid.
• Allow jelly to set for a few hours before moving. If they do not set, repeat process or store in the fridge.