Cherry Almond Jam…yes ma’am…

It’s that time of year, when we shake the cherry trees in Northeast Wisconsin. Door County, specifically, is known for its abundant crop of tart cherries. At one point, Door County was believed to produce more cherries than anywhere else in the world! These aren’t your ordinary cherries. They are bright red and will make your lips pucker when you pop one into your mouth.

Not to be confused with sweet cherries, these tart cherries provide several health benefits. They are the mainstay of this region. When you walk the streets of the quaint little towns in Door County, you will see kitchen towels, mugs, plates and other home goods adorned with these bright cherries. People come from all over to experience the “doink” of tart cherries dropping into their pails. Brightly colored jars filled with jam and pie filling line the shelves of those wanting to enjoy their harvest all year long.

Our family enjoys a very traditional, old-fashioned recipe…Cherry Almond Jam. It is a very sweet jam and is a wonderful “once in a while” treat. It also makes a great gift! It’s absolutely delicious!

CHERRY ALMOND JAM

• 8 cups pitted tart cherries (roughly 4 pounds). I use a scale versus a measuring cup, but it isn’t necessary.
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 10 cups sugar (Organic cane sugar is fine too, but be sure to cook down to avoid a grainy texture. You could play around with reducing the sugar, but run the risk of a runnier set without natural pectin)
• 2 pouches (3oz/each) of liquid fruit pectin
• 1 teaspoon almond extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pit the cherries and place in a large pot and add 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil; boil for 15 minutes.
2. Add the sugar and bring to a full rolling boil over high heat while stirring constantly. Boil for about 4 minutes. Stir in the pectin and continue to boil for another minute. Keep stirring though!
3. Remove the pot from the heat, skim off any foam (the kids will love this part), stir in the extract. Ladle the hot mixture into 11 half-pint jars. As with any jam, leave 1/4″ head space. Wipe the rims and add the lids and screw on bands until fingertip tight.
4. Place jars into water bath canner and bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove and wait for the PING!

***This recipe can be quite runny. You could cook it down a little longer to create a thicker consistency. I follow the directions as is and just refrigerate the jam. Thickens it up nicely!

Original recipe from: Taste of Home