This week I was picking cherries with my buddy Tracy and her kids. The Sour Cherries were ready, almost 6 weeks ahead of normal, thanks to the early heat wave.

Sour cherries are different than sweet – they are not good eating cherries but are great for baking and jams!

WHY do I go through this minor hassle to make home made jam?

Let’s look at cost first:
The average jar of jam at the grocery store is $4.00 — using FREE fruit, sale priced sugar and the jars I already have, I can make a jar for about $.10 each, saving over 97%. This may not seem like much but I make over 50 jars of assorted jams in the summer, so it saves me over $200 a year.

Now let’s talk taste:
A-MA-ZING. You can taste the freshness in home made jam. Sugar is a natural preservative and better for you than all the long words that you can’t pronounce! Give the jars a quick, 15 minute hot water bath and they are shelf stable for 2 years!

Giftabillity?
You betcha! It really doesn’t take much time to make the actual jam – it takes the longest to pick the berries/cherries/rhubarb and top/pit/slice it. Add a little colored fabric and ribbon to the top and it’s a gourmet treat that is sure to be enjoyed!
🙂

My recipe is similar to the one you see on the Sure Jell packages – but one “secret”.

Start with all the yummy cherries!