This delicious sour cherry jam recipe without pectin comes from my long-time best friend. We both grew up on the same narrow street in a small town. Even though we have moved to different towns, countries, and continents, our friendship has never been lost. Friendship like ours is seldom, and it is something I deeply cherish.
“Friends cherish each other’s hopes. They are kind to each other’s dreams” ~ Henry David Thoreau
Cherries for sour cherry jam
Sour cherries are a great fruit to grow in a northern climate. Even though we can’t grow the sweet varieties, we can grow some of the best sour cherries.
My favorite sour cherry is the Carmine Jewel. It’s not really a tree, just a bush. In our garden, we have 4 of them. Two are planted in the same hole (see picture), it had been there when we bought the house. And two, we moved with us, not knowing that there were already two. No problem, we love them all.
In the spring, these trees put on a great blossom show, and in the summer, they are loaded with dark red cherries. If we could have just one tree, this would be the one. But don’t plant just one, plant two in the same hole for pollination. Size-wise, the two are the same as one, but the harvest is better with two.
The dark red color of the fruit is not just on the outside; it is throughout, making it an excellent choice for jam-making. The result is a beautiful preserve.
Pitting the cherries for jam
Wash the cherries before pitting. Soaking them in water for about 15 minutes helps to float any worms and makes pitting simpler.
Cherries come with pits that need to be removed before making this recipe. There are many cherry pitters available to make the job go easier. We use both a hand pitter and a deluxe cherry pitter.
Using the hand pitter is a slower process, a bit meditative. Great for a cherry date night with good conversations.
Making jam without pectin
This sour cherry jam recipe uses a unique multiple cooking method that helps to thicken the jam without the need for pectin. Since cherries are very juicy, it’s a good way to thicken the jam without cooking it for hours or using pectin. The method does take longer, but it is not more work. My friend says that she uses the same technique to make jam from other juicy fruit as well.
Try it, it might become your favorite method to make jam.
Since we do not use pectin, we have more flexibility in determining the amount of sugar to use. My friend uses a 1-to-1 ratio. I usually add less sugar. It depends on your preference and the sourness of the cherries. Different varieties have different tartness. If in doubt, add less and taste before adding more. I share the recipe the way my friend shared it with me.
NOTE: Since we are working with a natural product, the natural pectin in the cherries will vary. If you achieve the desired results after one or two cooking times, skip the next one. Use common sense here and your personal preference on how thick you want the cherry jam to be.
Sour cherry jam recipe
- 1 kg (about 2 lb) pitted sour cherries
- 1 kg (about 2 lb) sugar
- Juice from half a lemon
- Add the pitted cherries to a big saucepan and bring to a boil on medium-high heat
- Cook for 15 minutes, stirring regularly to cook some of the liquid down
- Add sugar and lemon juice, and cook for 10 minutes
- Take it from the fire and let it cool completely. At this point, it is a good time to check if the jam has started to set. If yes, you may skip the next cooking and cooling.
- Bring the jam back to a boil and cook on medium-high for another 10 minutes.
- Take it from the fire and let it cool completely.
- Bring the jam back to a boil and cook on medium-high till it thickens to your liking. At this point, it might only need a few minutes.
- Ladle into clean jars
- Cover with lids and screw on bands finger-tight
- Process in a water bath or steam canner for 20 minutes
- Note: You can process this jam for 10 minutes (adjusting to your altitude), but in that case, you have to sterilize jars and lids beforehand. I process it for 20 minutes to save myself the extra work.
We invite you to subscribe to Northern Homestead and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest for more great recipes.
Hi! If you were using Bing cherries would you reduce the amount of sugar? By half?
I have never used Bing cherries for jam, so hard to say. But I do use half sugar for sweet fruit like apples or apricots. Add half and then try the jam, If you find it to be to tart, add more. You can always add more but it is not possible to reduce, right!?
I used sour cherries, followed the recipe exactly, and my jam is like cement. I tried thinning with juice, but the nice cherry flavor is not there and it’s more like fruit leather. Would not recommend this method.
Sorry this has happened to you. Your cherries must have had a whole lot of natural pectin. With any recipe when using natural fruit it is advised to also look at the process how it is going. Your jam must have thickened already when cooking the first time. If that happens there is no need to cook longer or again.
I am unable to get fresh sour cherries in Mississippi, has anyone used frozen?
Yes, I have made the same recipe with frozen sour cherries as well as fresh.
I made this yesterday as written- was delicious. You mentioned you personally reduce the sugar- how much do you use? I’m a newer canner and wondering if this affects shelf life?
I love your blog! It’s a valuable resource for me! Hoping to make our own cold room this year. Thank you!
Thank you, Erin, for your kind words. Sugar is a preservative, but to my knowledge, fruit can be safely canned without adding sugar. Sugar is primarily added to improve flavor, but it is not necessary for safe preservation. I don’t reduce the sugar much in cherry jam. Depending on how sweet the fruit is, my jam usually varies between 1:1 and 0.5:1 sugar to fruit by weight.