We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Preservation

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What Are Cherry Preserves?

By Angela Farrer
Updated: May 16, 2024
Views: 11,130
References
Share

Cherry preserves are a type of fruit jam or spread usually made with standard processes of preserving cherries. These kinds of preserved foods are often made from scratch with a few basic ingredients and sealed in glass jars for storage. Different types of cherries can yield preserves with varying levels of sweetness. Some cherry preserves have a tart flavor similar to citrus preserves, while others have a flavor closer to that of cherry pie filling. Making preserves from cherries usually requires removing cherry pits, although the rest of the cooking and canning methods are normally similar to those for preserving other kinds of fruit.

Ingredients for cherry preserves typically include water, sugar, and the thickening agent pectin that is needed for homemade preserves to reach the correct consistency. Some cooks use pectin with added sugar, while others find that this type of pectin yields a too-sweet batch of preserves. Unsweetened pectin is usually available as an alternative. Lemon juice is also sometimes added to preserves made with sweeter cherries to balance out the overall flavors.

Pitting cherries for preserves can usually be done most efficiently with a specialized kitchen tool called either a pitter or a stoner. Some preserve makers like to slice large cherries in half and remove the pits by hand, although this method can sometimes be tricky and result in juice loss from ripe cherries. After the pits have been extracted, the cherries are then typically cooked in a large pot of boiling water along with the sugar and optional lemon juice. The pectin is usually mixed in according to individual recipe instructions once the fruit is sufficiently cooked for cherry preserves. An alternate method of cooking cherries for preserves is to bake them on a cookie sheet in an oven.

Cooking cherries in boiling water often results in a layer of foam on the surface. Experienced homemade preserve makers often advise skimming this foam before the mixture is poured into sterilized preserve jars. Leftover foam in cherry preserves can sometimes result in air bubbles that can lessen the shelf life of fruit preserves and even result in bacterial contamination in some cases. Correctly canned cherry preserves in sterile glass jars can often remain fresh for as long as one year.

Share
DelightedCooking is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Link to Sources
Discussion Comments
Share
https://www.delightedcooking.com/what-are-cherry-preserves.htm
Copy this link
DelightedCooking, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

DelightedCooking, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.