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Capture the delicious taste of fresh cherries and enjoy it all year long! This Sweet Cherry Freezer Jam is super easy, and there are no canning skills needed! It will even transform the humble PB&J to an epicurean delight!
Every year, when the cherry season comes around, I find myself eating my weight in this delicious, crimson fruit. The season is so fleeting, I want to fully savor it. I love to make cobblers, ice cream, sorbets, pies, cakes, focaccia (delicious!) and... Sweet Cherry Freezer Jam!
If you're in the grocery store and you see something like this...
...stop dead in your tracks and fill up a BIG bag of these fabulous red jewels. By next week, they'll probably be much more expensive! It's cherry time right now, and the local markets have displays piled high - but it won't last long.
It dawned on me one day, while I was nibbling on a handful of perfectly ripe cherries, that I could capture the delicious, summery flavor and enjoy it all through the year by making cherry freezer jam!
What's the difference between freezer jam and traditional cooked jam?
- Freezer jam isn't (or is barely) cooked and comes together very quickly. Traditional jam takes longer to make, as there is cooking time involved.
- Freezer jam is stored in the freezer in lieu of canning.
- Freezer jam uses less sugar than conventional cooked jam, as it's not needed as a preservative, just as a sweetener.
- You can use any kind of container for storage instead of the glass jars that are necessary for conventional jam.
I'm a huge fan of freezer jam because it's a wonderful way to preserve the delicious flavors of summer fruit without the fuss, heat, equipment, and time that canned jams require. And because it's barely cooked, it retains the beautiful color of the fresh fruit. If you compare the a batch of freezer jam and traditional jam made with the same variety of fruit, you'll be shocked at the vibrant hue of the freezer jam vs. the cooked jam!
A little kitchen workhorse
When working with cherries, it does help immensely to have a cherry pitter. I picked up this one by OXO several years ago, and honestly, it's worth it's weight in gold. I pitted all the cherries for this jam in less than 5 minutes.
After removing the small pits, I gave them just a few pulses in the food processor, but a knife or a chopper would work as well. Just make sure not to pulse or chop them too fine. You want nice bits of fruit in the finished jam.
A problem with freezer jam
One last thing about freezer jam. One of the main drawbacks to freezer jam is that, because it’s not cooked, it can be difficult to completely dissolve the sugar which gives the jam a “grainy/sugary” texture. With a bit of trial and error, I figured out that a short stint in the microwave will totally eliminate the problem, and yet the flavor is still fresh and the jam retains it's beautiful hue.
So, go ahead, take 30 minutes today for a delicious summer taste sensation you can enjoy all year long! You'll be thanking yourself when the cold winds blow and your having this wonderful jam on toast, biscuits, bagels, hard rolls, yogurt...
Café Tips for making this Sweet Cherry Freezer Jam
- Pectin, a thickening agent is necessary for making freezer jam. Most fruits actually contain some of their own pectin, but not enough to give a good consistency. Pectin can be purchased either in powder or liquid form. In this Sweet Cherry Freezer Jam, I used the powdered version. Pectin can be quite expensive but, with experimentation, I learned that generic versions work as well as the big name brands and are usually much less expensive. Although this recipe calls for Sure-Jell, I have also had great results with the Kroger brand, as well as other generic pectins.
- Don't substitute one type of pectin for the other. The powdered and liquid versions call for different proportions of sugar and fruit.
- Even if you’ve never made jam before and don’t feel like one of those old-fashioned super cooks, I promise, you can do this! You really can; and your family/friends will be quite thrilled with you. A pat on the back just might be in order too!
- If you don’t have a ton of freezer space, freezer jam can be prepared and poured into quart-size ziplock bags. Squeeze out the air, seal the bags and stack them flat in the freezer. When you’re ready to use it, just thaw then empty the contents of the bag into a jam/jelly jar.
- If you buy new jars for making jam, save the box that the jars are packaged in. It's a perfect, compact place to store your jam in the freezer and you don't end up with jars going missing in the freezer.
- How to pit cherries? Use a cherry pitter! It will make the job so... much easier! I find that the best place to do it is right in my kitchen sink. Put two bowls in the sink, one for the stones and one for the pitted cherries. There will be a little splatter with each cherry and it will be confined to the sink.
- There are lots of recipes in which you can be a little sloppy when measuring ingredients and still have success. I'm the queen of that! DON'T do it with jam! Jam is an exact science. Measure very carefully and level your measuring cups at the top. Don't skimp or overdo the amount of any of the ingredients called for.
- 1½-2 pounds fully ripe red sweet cherries you'll need 2 cups pitted and chopped cherries
- 4¼ cups sugar measured into separate bowl
- ¾ cup water
- 1 box SURE-JELL Fruit Pectin (1.75-ounces) see notes above in post
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
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Start with clean dry plastic containers or glass jars.
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Stem and pit cherries. I love using this cherry pitter. Coarsely chop fruit with a sharp knife or chopper. You can also give a few pulses in the food processor - not too many though, you want chunks of fruit in your jam. Measure exactly 2 cups of cherries into large microwave-safe bowl. Stir in the sugar. Let stand 10 min., stirring occasionally.
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Place bowl in microwave and cook on high power for 3 minutes. Remove and stir. Most of the sugar should be dissolved. Taste the jam. If it still has a grainy texture, return to microwave for another minute or two.
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Combine water and pectin in small saucepan and stir till pectin is dissolved. Bring to boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add to fruit mixture along with the lemon juice and stir 3 full minutes.
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Fill prepared containers immediately to within ½ inch of tops. Wipe off top edges of containers and cover with lids right away. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. Jam is now ready to use. Refrigerate up to 3 weeks or freeze extra containers up to one year. Thaw in refrigerator before using.
This recipe makes 5 cups of jam.
Judy says
I just got done making Freezer Bing Cherry Jam. My recipe didn't say to put it in the microwave for 3 minutes like yours and it turned out grainy. I have already added the pectin and only then did I realize it turned out grainy. Do you think I could put it in the microwave so I can dissolve the sugar? Or is it too late. Thank you.
ginny runquist says
I'm looking for a recipe for CANNED Sweet cheer jam
Chris Scheuer says
Sorry Ginny, I don't know about that.
Bridgett says
Our Legacy Blueberries, Big Red Peaches are now ripe in Northern Michigan.: Add that with our wonderful Michigan Dark Sweet and Tart Cherries and the flavor is wonderful.
Can't wait for our Jersey Blueberries to ripen to make some more Cherry Blueberry Jam! Still waiting for the Blackberries to get ripe.
I am looking for an easy freezer jam recipe for Plum Jam. Plums are ripe now too.
Tank you for the wonderful easy jam recipes
Bridgett
Chris Scheuer says
Sounds like you live in a jam making paradise!!
Peggi Yacovissi says
Your link to a cherry pitter at Amazon goes to a page with many choices. Which one do you like?
I have a pitter that works well for soft sour cherries, but it struggled with the firmer sweet cherries. The jam was great in spite of that!
Von says
Woah....why are your cherries so cheap???? The cheapest ours ever get is at least twice that price >:( The jam sounds great- I really love cherries so definitely would love this! Your freezer sounds like an amazing place btw 😛
Muna Kenny says
Oh Chris those cherries look so yummy, and reserving all its deliciousness as a jam is just what we should do when we get such sweet cherries!
Sandra says
For the last month I've bought cherries every week with the intention of making jam or roasting them. So far we've just enjoyed them as they are, sweet and juicy. Time is running out and I'm going to have to buckle down and make some jam. Thanks for the inspiration!
John@Kitchen Riffs says
A cherry pitter is so worth having, isn't it? I use it to pit olives, too. Anyway, love the idea of freezer jam -- so much less work. Going to try this -- thanks.
Pam says
I've never made cherry freezer jam... bookmarked! this looks wonderful.
Claire @ Claire K Creations says
Oh I'm so jealous that you have cherries at the moment! I will stash this away for a few months time.
TheKitchenLioness says
Chris, more wonderful freezer jam - the wonderful cherries that you used have an incredible color - amazing photos and recipe!
Angie (@angiesrecipess) says
O this is so YUM! We have to buy a couple of extra pounds to make this too.
Kim - Liv Life says
Oh my goodness those cherry photos are so beautiful!! I haven't really seen a good batch of berries this summer... but I'll be out at the market this week so we will see. I know they are due! LOVE the freezer jam idea... I'm not a very good canner. 🙂
Sam @ My Carolina Kitchen says
Thanks for this great recipe for us non-canners. The cherries have been fabulous this year.
Sam
spoon-stories says
What a color is that!! Amazing! And I can imagine the taste of this jam! Thank you my dear! Happy week^^
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
What a gorgeous jam! I just found some cherries on sale so I need to try this!
Vicki Bensinger says
I could eat a bowl of these cherries in one sitting I love them so much. I can imagine the flavor of this jam must be sensational and great on beef dishes as well.
As for the pop up ads that show on my mobile device are so frustrating. I almost didn't think I'd get to post a comment. I have no idea why they have to cover everything so you can't read the post. But I managed to post a comment. Sorry for complaining.
Ginny Hartzler says
This is great! Phil loves cherries, but they have such a short season!
Happier Than A Pig In Mud says
This sounds good and looks beautiful! I hope we're not too late in Philly:@)
Monique says
I have never made a cherry jam..
Thanks to you I will..
Thanks Chris!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
While I've made a lot of jam, I've never made freezer jam. I can't believe I've been that thoughtless. It's the peak of strawberry season here so that's what I'm going to do this week!
Madonna/aka/Ms. Lemon says
I just bought cherries for $1.48 lb. Isn't that shocking? Rainer are much more expensive - much, much more. Now I need some sure jell.
I think your link for the pitter is wrong. It takes me to Kraft.
I need a bigger freezer. 🙂
Charlotte Moore says
Love those dark cherries. $2.99 a pound has been our cheapest price.
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert says
I just froze a bunch of pitted cherries - but would have loved to make this! Gorgeous photos, fantastic jam - a real home run!
Norma | Allspice and Nutmeg says
Oh yeah I could eat my weight in cherries. And this freezer jam would be scarfed down by the spoonfuls. Or spread it on a nice hot buttery biscuit.