Pitted cherry jam for winter

It is often made by canning this berry without removing the pits, but it is still better to spend a little more time and close the pitted cherry jam for the winter. This dense berry withstands heat treatment well while maintaining its shape, and it's much more pleasant to eat such firm berries without hindrance. Moreover, without the pit, the canning can be stored for up to 2 years, while with the pit – no more than a year.

In this recipe, the neutral taste of cherries is complemented by the refreshing zest of mint, making the canning extraordinarily delicious and not at all cloying.

Yield: 2 jars of 250 g each.

Preparation time: 4.5 hours.

Caloric content: 185 kcal per 100 grams of the dish.

Ingredients

• ripe cherries with pits - 550 g;
• white sugar - 400 g;
• purified water - 50 ml;
• citric acid - 0.5 tsp;
• fresh mint (can be substituted with lemon balm) - 2 sprigs.

Jars with metal lids must be sterilized in a convenient way.

Cooking

1. Using a special device, remove the pits from the berries. If you don't have such a device, a regular pin will do the job.

2. Put a saucepan with sugar on the heat, and to prevent it from burning, pour in 50 ml of water.

3. After a few minutes, the syrup will absorb all the sugar and start to boil.

4. Pour the syrup over the berries – let them sit like this.

5. After an hour, the cherries will release juice and color the syrup burgundy.

6. Boil the mixture, ignoring the foam, for exactly 5 minutes.

7. Without turning off the stove, add citric acid – it will improve the color of the jam and prevent it from crystallizing later.

8. Next, add the mint. Increase the boiling process for another 3 minutes. Only then turn off the heat and wait for the jam to cool completely. This will take 3 hours.

9. When the mixture reaches room temperature, remove the mint sprigs.

10. Return the jam to the stove, setting the heat just below medium. This time, boil the mixture for 15 minutes, occasionally skimming off the rising foam.

11. Pour the boiling cherries along with the syrup into the jars.

12. Screw on the lids and turn the jars upside down. There’s no need to wrap the jam – let it cool naturally.

You can store pitted cherry jam for winter in an urban apartment – this preparation is not afraid of heat. After cooling, the berries along with the ruby syrup will become almost marmalade-like, and the mint aroma will enhance the flavor considerably.