Directions:

• Wash and drain cherries. Combine cherries and water in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil while crushing cherries with a potato masher; reduce heat, cover and boil gently 35 minutes. Continue to crush fruit occasionally during cooking time.
• Pour cooked mixture into dampened Jelly Bag or cheese cloth-lined sieve suspended over a deep container. Let drip 4 to 6 hours or overnight to collect juice. For quicker results squeeze bag; juice may be a little cloudy.
• Meanwhile, place 6 clean 250 ml mason jars on a rack in a boiling water canner. Cover jars with water and heat to a simmer (180°F/82°C). Set screw bands aside. Keep jars hot until ready to use.
• Preheating Bernardin® lids is not advised. The sealing compound used for our home canning lids performs better at room temperature than it does pre-heated in simmering water (180°F). Simply wash lids in hot, soapy water, dry, and set aside until needed. Preheating can lead to less vacuum being achieved during water bath canning, and to buckle failures during pressure canning.
• Measure 6 cups cherry juice into a large, deep stainless steel saucepan. Stir in lemon juice and all the sugar. To reduce foaming, add 1/2 tsp (2ml) butter or margarine. Over high heat, bring mixture to a full rolling boil that can not be stirred down. Add liquid pectin; stirring constantly, boil hard 1 minute. Remove from heat; skim foam.
• Quickly ladle jelly into a hot jar to within 1/4 inch (0.5 cm) of top of jar (headspace). Using nonmetallic utensil, remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if required, by adding more jelly. Wipe jar rim removing any food residue. Centre hot sealing disc on clean jar rim. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip tight. Return filled jar to rack in canner. Repeat for remaining jelly.
• When canner is filled, ensure that all jars are covered by at least one inch (2.5 cm) of water. Cover canner and bring water to full rolling boil before starting to count processing time. At altitudes up to 1000 ft (305 m), process –boil filled jars – 10 minutes.*
• When processing time is complete, remove canner lid, wait 5 minutes, then remove jars without tilting and place them upright on a protected work surface. Cool upright, undisturbed 24 hours; DO NOT RETIGHTEN screw bands.
• After cooling check jar seals. Sealed lids curve downward and do not move when pressed. Remove screw bands; wipe and dry bands and jars. Store screw bands separately or replace loosely on jars, as desired. Label and store jars in a cool, dark place. For best quality, use home canned foods within one year.

Notes & Tips