Sweet Cherry Vanilla Jam

This year I added 20 lbs of sweet cherries to my fruit order and was thrilled at how fabulous they were.   Sweet cherries travel much better than sour cherries [which often arrive brown and running with juice, though delicious.]  Sweet cherries store well, stay firm and the extra few days gave us time to finish the peaches, which arrived first, and deal with the sour cherries and berries.   It was a very busy couple of weeks.   I washed the sweet cherries and put them in ziplocks stacked flat in the fridge.   It was easy to grab a bag in the morning, set it out and I confess we ate many many of those cherries fresh before I had a chance to make anything with them.

But I did make a couple of things with them and the first on the list was a batch or two [or three] of Sweet Cherry Vanilla Jam.  

It. Was. Heaven.   Like my favorite clafouti without the custard.    Soooo good.   Make some of this.  [Put it on chocolate cake.   Or just eat it with a spoon right out of the jar.]

Sweet Cherry Vanilla Jam
www.rurification.com

4 cups pitted sweet cherries, cut in half
1 cup water
1 vanilla bean, cut in half and then sliced open lengthwise
1/2 cup low sugar pectin [Dutch Gel All Natural Lite is my favorite]
1 cup sugar

Put the cherries, water, vanilla and pectin in a large pot.   Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  When the jam reaches a hard boil [that bubbles like crazy even when you're stirring constantly], time it for 1 minute.    Add the sugar, stir constantly and return it to a hard boil.   Time it for one minute.   Turn off the heat, ladle into jars.   We process the jam in 1/2 pint jars for 15 minutes.   Yield:  2.5 - 3 pints.

For more recipes as easy as these, check out my ebook on the sidebar.  A Simple Jar of Jam: 180+ recipes & variations for jam using low sugar pectin.  Every purchase goes a long way toward supporting the blog.   Thank you!

Cherry Pie Filling with Perma Flo

Once again, I attempted to make cherry pie filling with Perma Flo and this year it totally worked!

We pitted the cherries and then let them sit while we made the Mixed Berry Pie Filling I told you about in the last post.   The juices flowed.   I added a bit extra perma flo to compensate.  This year the bottles are packed with fruit and the sauce is perfectly thick.   So delicious!


Sour Cherry Pie Filling with Perma Flo
www.rurification.com

1 gallon sour cherries, pitted
6 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups Perma Flo

Mix the sugar and the Perma Flo well in a bowl.   Put the cherries and all their juice in a large pot.  Mix in the sugar/Perma Flo combination and stir well.   Bring to a boil stirring constantly.   The sauce will become clear when it reaches the boil.   Make sure it boils!   As you're stirring, watch for stray pits and pull them out with a spoon.  Once the filling is boiling, put it in jars.   We processed ours for 30 minutes.

Yield:  5-6 quarts of pie filling.

Chocolate Cherry Jam

There's something about Valentine's Day that just screams chocolate to me. 

CHOCOLATE!!

Last year I made three chocolate jams using chocolate bars, chocolate chips and cocoa powder as I was making the jam to begin with.  [btw:  chocolate chips are the easiest way to put chocolate in your jam.]

This year I wanted to try chocolate cherry, because it sounded good.  [So, I saved a jar of my cherry jam from last year just for this very reason and I had to defend that jar all year long from nameless people who live here with threats of  No Jam At All Ever Again if anyone touched my last jar of cherry jam.  It worked.]

I especially wanted to see if I could take a jar of jam already made and turn it into chocolate jam pretty easily.   

Yep.   I could. 

And I'm telling you, this stuff on bread is To. Die. For.   It's the bread and chocolate thing on a whole 'nother level.     Drumroll, please.....

Chocolate Cherry Jam
www.rurification.com

1 jar cherry jam [8-12 oz, whatever]
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Put the jam in a bowl with the chocolate chips.  Microwave for 1 minute.   Stir until smooth.

The End.

Really.   That's it.  

I know!

I know!

Why didn't I think of this sooner??

Don't stress out about the exact size of jar.   If there's more or less jam or chocolate, no one will care. 

You could do this with orange marmalade.   Raspberry jam.   Pear ginger jam.   Strawberry jam.  

You guys!!   Breakfast.  Valentine's Day. 

If you want the recipes for the jams I made last year, here ya go:

Chocolate Pear Ginger Jam
Chocolate Orange Jam
Chocolate Raspberry Jam


Want the recipe for this Chocolate Jam and a whole lot of other terrific jam recipes?   Check out my ebook:  A Simple Jar of Jam  at www.rurification.etsy.com.   You can preview the book by clicking the link on the sidebar.  Every purchase helps support this site.  Thank you!

Cherry Pie Filling Experiments with Perma Flo

My blackberry pie filling [see yesterday's post] was so easy and so successful that I immediately started making plans to use up some of the fruit in the freezer in shelf stable canned pie filling.   Seriously, the freezer was so full the kids were starting to threaten me any time I talked about getting more fresh fruit.

Mom.  MOM!  There's no room in the freezer.

NO ROOM.   None.   It's full to bursting.   Really.

So I told them to pull out 4 bags of cherries and I'd make cherry pie filling with a gallon of cherries I just got from Freedom Country Store the same way I'd made pie filling with a gallon of blackberries.

I did exactly the same thing only used twice as much sugar since they were sour cherries.  It didn't go as well as I thought.

Cherry Pie Filling Syrup with Perma Flo
www.rurification.com

1 gallon frozen cherries
3 quarts water
1 cup rounded Perma Flo
6 cups sugar  

Step 1.  Bring the liquid to a boil.   I put 3 quarts of water in a pot and 1 quart of the cherries and brought that to a boil.   I mashed the cherries while I was at it to release the juices.

Step 2.  Whisk in the Perma Flo.   I used 1/4 cup per quart of fruit.   1 gallon of cherries needed 1 cup of Perma Flo. I rounded the cup. 

Step 3.  Stir until it starts to thicken.  It took a few minutes.

Step 4.  Add fruit [the rest of the gallon of cherries], sugar [6 cups] and return to boil.

Step 5.  Put in clean jars, wipe rims, top with clean lids and rings.

Step 6.  Process jars for 30 minutes.  The NCHFP recommends water bath canning.


I ended up with 7 quarts of thin pie filling.

In jars that were only 1/2 full of cherries.

Soooo, this batch of pie filling is not exactly my idea of a paragon of success.   [I used paragon to describe pie filling again.  How. Cool. Is. That?]

Apparently there is a lot more juice in frozen cherries than there is in fresh blackberries. I figured I'd have to open the jars and monkey with it to get it thicker, but I didn't want to because those cherries had clearly had enough.  Plus, it was hot.   Plus, I just didn't want to monkey with it any more.

Once the jars cooled, they thickened up just enough to be a nice syrup and I realized that sour cherry syrup is a great thing to have.

We served it over chocolate cake and ice cream.   To. Die. For.

Then the next day, I cut up 4 nice big fresh peaches into a greased casserole dish and poured a quart of the cherry syrup-pie-filling-goo over them and topped it with some fruit crisp topping and baked it all until brown and bubbling.

We had that for breakfast.  Because I'm the best mom in the world.  They told me so. 

So, proceeding with a positive attitude and a little creativity, I was able to snatch culinary victory out of the jaws of certain food preservation defeat.    Hah!

My point is, don't despair when your experiments turn out weird.  If they taste good [and this will!] and give you an opportunity to discover something new that you and your family will love.

In the meantime, if you want to actually make regular thick cherry pie filling with Perma Flo this is what I'd do:

Cherry Pie Filling with Perma Flo - the hypothetical version
www.rurification.com

1 gallon frozen cherries
1 quart water
1 rounded cup Perma Flo
6 cups sugar  

Step 1.  Bring the liquid to a boil. If you defrost the cherries completely before you start, then just use that juice and skip the water.

Step 2.  Whisk in the Perma Flo. 

Step 3.  Stir until it starts to thicken.  It takes a few minutes.

Step 4.  Add fruit and sugar and return to boil.

Step 5.  Put in clean jars, wipe rims, top with clean lids and rings.

Step 6.  Process jars for 30 minutes.  The NCHFP recommends water bath canning.

Yield:  5 quarts of cherry pie filling. Ish.

Experiments with Pie Filling and Perma Flo

I love having a few jars of pie filling in the pantry.   They're perfect for quick desserts and breakfasts.  Just open them up, sprinkle on a crisp-type topping and pop it in the oven.   I love that.

The past couple of years, I've made and canned pie filling with corn starch.   It worked fine - for a few months.  After about 6 months, the filling starts to separate and get a bit clumpy and watery.   It's fine when you stir it up, but it's not exactly a paragon of shelf stability. 

[I always wanted to use the word 'paragon' to describe pie filling and now I have.  I'm so glad I can check that off my bucket list.]

The National Center for Home Food Preservation doesn't recommend using corn starch in canned pie filling.  In case you wondered. 

They recommend Clear Gel.  Which is great, but we can't get that around here.   What we can get is Perma Flo, so I looked it up.    The NCHFP hasn't done any research on it and they categorically recommend against anything they themselves haven't researched.  

So, of course, I had to try it.  My local Amish place loves it and that's all they use.   Perma Flo is the same stuff as Therm Flo, so look/ask for both.   Your local place might have one or the other.

Basically, you whisk up the Perma Flo into the boiling liquid [water, juice, etc.], let it start getting thick and then add the fruit and sugar.   Bring it to a boil, put in jars and process quarts for 30 minutes. 

Blackberry Pie Filling with Perma Flo
www.rurification.com

1 gallon blackberries
3 quarts water
1 cup rounded Perma Flo
3 cups sugar  

Step 1.  Bring the liquid to a boil.   There was none in my gallon of berries, so I put 3 quarts of water in a pot and 1 quart of the berries and brought that to a boil.   I mashed the berries while I was at it to release the juices.

Step 2.  Whisk in the Perma Flo.   I used 1/4 cup per quart of fruit.   1 gallon of berries needed 1 cup of Perma Flo. I rounded the cup. 

Step 3.  Stir until it starts to thicken.  It took a few minutes.

Step 4.  Add fruit [the rest of the gallon of berries], sugar [3 cups] and return to boil.

Step 5.  Put in clean jars, wipe rims, top with clean lids and rings.

Step 6.  Process jars for 30 minutes.  The NCHFP recommends water bath canning.

Yield:  5.5 quarts of gorgeous blackberry pie filling.

It worked great!   Tomorrow I'll tell you about the cherry pie filling.

Cherry Orange Jam

Today I have a brand new jam recipe for you guys - just because I love you.

Cherry Orange Jam isn't really a marmalade, but it looks a bit like one.  It's a terrific blend of flavors and it makes a beautiful red jam.

Everyone knows that red jam is the best jam.

This recipe uses whole oranges.   It's easier if you can find very clean seedless oranges so all you have to do is wash them well and slice them up.
 

Cherry Orange Jam
www.rurification.com

2 whole oranges
4 cups pitted sour cherries
1/2 cup - 1 cup of water or juice if necessary for dry fruit
4 tablespoons low-sugar pectin
4 cups sugar

Wash the oranges very well.  Cut them in half from north pole to south pole.  Slice each half into thin slices parallel with the equator.  They'll look like sunbursts.  [I love that.]  Cut the sunbursts into 3-4 wedges that will be comfortable to eat in your jam.  Combine the orange wedges, cherries, water/juice and pectin in a big pot.    Bring to hard boil.  [A hard boil is one you can't stir down.]   Stir constantly and boil hard for 1 minute.    Add sugar.   Stir well and return to hard boil.   Stir constantly and boil hard for 1 minute.  Ladle into jars.  Cap with clean lids and rings.

Yield: 4.5 pints

Cherry Vanilla Jam

It's the cheery cherry time of year.   If you're lucky enough to score some sour pie cherries, then try this jam.   It's really excellent with whipped cream cheese over pancakes. 

Cherry Vanilla Jam
www.rurification.com

4 cups pitted cherries
1 cup water or juice
4 Tablespoons low-sugar pectin [such as Ball or Dutch All Natural Lite]
2 cups sugar
2 Tablespoons vanilla extract

Combine the cherries, water/juice and pectin.    Bring to hard boil.  [A hard boil is one you can't stir down.]   Stir constantly and boil hard for 1 minute.    Add sugar and vanilla.   Stir well and return to a hard boil.   Stir constantly and boil hard for 1 minute.    Ladle into jars.  Cap with clean lids and rings.

For this recipe and more than 180 others, check out my ebook  A Simple Jar of Jam.  You can preview it by clicking the preview link on my sidebar. 

Jammy Oatcakes with Chocolate

Confession:  I kind of got into a groove with these Jammy Oatcakes.   

They're fast.  They're easy. They're fun. They don't involve snow.

Plus, we kept thinking of new combinations. And we had to try every single one of them.  


And they were sooooo good. 

Especially these cherry almond ones.   And then we put some chocolate chips in them and the angels sang and all was right with the world, even with the snow. 


Cherry Almond Chocolate Chip Jammy Oatcakes
www.rurification.com

• 3 cups oatmeal
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup finely chopped almonds
• Handful of dried cherries [optional]
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup cherry jam
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips

Heat the oven to 350.

Melt the butter, jam, milk and vanilla in the microwave until soft.   I heated it for 1 minute in our microwave and it worked fine.   The butter was soft, but not completely melted.  That's fine.

Mix the oats, flour, salt, cherries and almonds in a mixer while the wet stuff is warming.  Don't add the chocolate chips yet.  Then add the wet stuff and mix it all together thoroughly.

Once everything has been mixed up, make sure it's not too warm.  You don't want to melt the chocolate chips when you're mixing them in the dough.   When the dough is cool enough, mix the chocolate chips in quickly.

Use an ice cream scoop to measure the cakes.   Pack the scoop hard and then pop them out onto a cookie sheet. [You don't have to grease the cookie sheet].   Flatten the cakes a bit with a fork.  Mine were 2 " rounds after I flattened them a bit.

Bake for 15 minutes if you want to eat them hot.  [They hold together better for eating warm and they are fabulous for breakfast!]

Bake for 10 minutes if you want to let them cool and eat them later.  [They'll finish drying as they cool].

Makes 20 cakes, 2" rounds.

Cherry and Maple Drop Spindles

Eric has been busy in the woodshop lately and has just finished two new batches of our octagonal drop spindles.  

They're gorgeous. 

Gor. Geous.  

I put ribbon leaders on them because everything looks better with ribbon. 

The first batch of spindles is cherry.     2.6 oz.  9 inches tall.    The hook can go on the top or bottom for top-whorl or bottom-whorl spinning.

These are good for beginners - not too heavy, but heavy enough to spin for a while as you learn to draft.

The second batch is in spalted maple.    Spalting is what makes those cool dark lines in wood.   I love spalted wood.

These spindles are 2.3 oz.   9 inches tall.    Good for experienced spinners who want a good spindle for wool.  Not too heavy, not too light.

These are also made so you can put the hook on the top or bottom for spinning.    


Spindles are $20 and listed on Etsy now.   These tend to go pretty quickly, so don't delay if you want one.