Cherry-Currant Jam

Jenny Sanders's Note:

Summer in a jar! Currants add zip to the cherries and help ensure a good set. I've tried a number of different gadgets to pit cherries, and within 5 minutes I generally revert to using my fingers. A tedious job but well worth it.

• Total Time: 2 hrs
• Prep Time: 1 hrs 15 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 144

Yield: 9.0 250ml j ...

• 8 cups sour pitted cherries
• 4 cups red currants
• 1/3 cup water
• 5 cups sugar

Directions:

1. Pit the cherries, and chop them roughly if desired.
2. Wash the currants and put them in a sauce pan with the water.
3. Cover them and bring them to a boil, stirring gently, until they are all popped.
4. Press them through a sieve, and reserve the puree.
5. Discard the skins, stems and seeds.
6. Mix the currant puree, cherries, and sugar in a large pot.
7. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves.
8. Boil hard until the mixture reaches the gell stage, about 20 minutes.
9. Remove from the heat and skim.
10. Seal in sterilized jars.
11. Process in boiling water for 5 minutes.

Reviews

[wildeyeris]

Mmmm! Just so happened I picked tons of sour cherries and red currant berries this summer. I will definitely make this again. I put them in 8 oz. jars and it made 6 of them.

[sugarpea]

Outstanding! Can't wait to appreciate it all the more in January. Jenny, this is worth the tedium of picking every teeny currant and pitting the endless cherries. I used Splenda and it worked beautifully. My "jam" may be a bit thinner than some but it was just fine for spreading once it had cooled. I froze it in 6oz. custard cups, popped the jam out of the cups while frozen and stored it in a freezer bag to be retrieved one at a time as I want it. It's going to be marvelous on Steve G's Protein Pancakes #14344.