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July is a busy month for the Saskatchewan berry picker.  Strawberries start off the month, followed by saskatoon berries, raspberries, and then finally, sour cherries.  Of the four, sour cherries are my favourite.  Yes, they are a lot of work, but well worth the effort.

We love them so much in our house that my son and I polished off 4 jars of sour cherry jam within one month.  It was our whole year’s supply!!

Processing sour cherries is the kind of job that makes a beginner nervous.  Sour cherry farms are not as popular as other fruits (at least in our area) so it can be daunting to find a place to pick.  The thought of pitting the cherries is scary.  Is the cost of a cherry pitter worth it?  How do I pit the cherries without one?  What can I make with sour cherries?

Picking and Harvesting Sour Cherries

My cherry picking expedition this year happened in two parts.  The first at my mother-in-law’s acreage with her 20 foot cherry tree.   The ladder is short, the cherries are high, and the bird is eager to eat every last one before I can pick them.

Since the bird loves cherries just as much as I do, I have to pick them when they are not quite fully ripe.  I like them that way and haven’t noticed a huge difference in taste.  If you prefer yours riper, leave them in the fridge for a few days and they will continue to ripen.

If you are picking on a tall tree like I am, please pick safe over clean!  Be careful of your reach.  As much as I dislike when birds eat my cherries, it is okay to leave the tallest ones for them.

Related: Tricks and Tips for Picking, Cleaning, and Processing Berries

Ready and Ripe

In the picture above I’ve laid out the different stages of ripeness.  You’ll want to pick your cherries at the the colour of the 3rd row if you have lots of birds, and the fourth row if you don’t.

Sour cherries are ripe when they easily pull off the stem.  There is nothing better than picking a loaded cherry tree in the hot summer sun.

A few days later I visited the u-pick cherry orchard in Bruno, SK .

I have never experienced such nice cherry picking.  My Mom and I were able to pick an ice cream pail each in 20 minutes.  We both picked off the same tree, and when we were done you could barely tell that we had picked off of it.

Related: For the Love of Berry Picking

How to Process and Freeze Sour Cherries

Cherries are surprisingly easy to process, but the pitting does take a lot of time.  If you don’t have a cherry pitter, I suggest putting a movie on Netflix and roping a friend into helping you.

Start by rinsing your cherries with water, then pitting them.

Here’s a quick little video to show you how I pit my cherries with a knife.  My Mom likes to wear gloves to protect her hands.  Click the link below to watch.

How to pit sour cherries by hand

Allow at least an hour per pail to pit your cherries.  If that’s not for you, here’s a link to a small cherry pitter and a large cherry pitter.  I have not personally used either of these products, but the reviews on both of them are very positive.

Freezing and Canning Sour Cherries

Once you’ve pitted all your cherries, it’s time to decide how you want to preserve them.  I like to make a few jars of jam, and freeze the rest in portions for pie, desserts, and for mixing in with my yogurt and oatmeal during the winter.

I freeze the sour cherries destined for pie in large freezer bags mixed with sugar and fruit preservative.  You can skip both the sugar and the preservative, but they help keep the colour and flavour.

I’ve also pre-made my pie filling by cooking 6 cups cherries with 2 cups of sugar and 1/2 cup flour.  You can use more sugar if you like.  I serve my pie with ice cream, so I like to compensate for sweetness.

Related: The Ultimate Easy Sour Cherry Pie

The rest of the cherries are measured out in 4 cup portions and froze for later use.

Pro tips!  Remember to label your bags BEFORE you put the cherries inside.  Include the date, how many cups there are, and how much sugar you added.  When you’re making desserts or jam, remember to subtract this amount of sugar from your recipe.

Here’s a quick video on the whole process:

Kristen’s Best-Loved Sour Cherry Jam Recipe

Finally, I want to share our family recipe for Sour Cherry Jam.  It’s isn’t fancy, and can be found in the pamphlet that comes with a box of pectin.  Despite its humble origins, it’s super delicious and always the first kind of jam we run out of.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups pitted sour cherries
• 4 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 pouch pectin (either liquid or powder is fine)

Directions:

Fill a canner with water and heat.  You’ll need enough water to cover the tops of your jars by an inch.  Fill a smaller pot with water and boil the lids and rims.

Here’s a link to a canning set similar to the one I use.

Sterilize your jars by putting them in the oven at 235 degrees celsius for at least 10 minutes.  I leave mine in the oven until just before I’m ready to use them.

Once the water in your canner starts to get some small bubbles you can start to cook your cherries.  Chop your sour cherries in a blender or food processor for 15-30 seconds.  Pour in a large pot and add sugar and pectin.

Bring to a boil, stirring constantly for 3-5 minutes, or until the colour of the cherries changes.  Skim the foam off the cherries.  The foam will start out pink and eventually turn red.  This is how you know your cherries have cooked enough.

Do not worry if you can’t get all the foam off.

Take your jars out of the oven and fill with cherry jam.  Leave a 1/4 inch (1/2 centimetre) of head space.  (Head space is the space between your jam and the top of the jar.)  Wipe off any spills and cover with a seal and rim.  Screw the rim on loosely.  If you put it on too tight it can prevent the jar from sealing.

Put the jars in boiling water and let boil for 10 minutes.  Make sure you have an inch of water over the top!  I prefer this smaller sized mason jar for this reason.

Remove the jars after 10 minutes and set them in a place where they can remain for 24 hours.  You should hear a pop as they seal, and the lid should not move.

Mistakes Can Be Beautiful

What do you do if you’ve messed up your cherry jam?

If your jam doesn’t seal, you can pop it back in the boiling water for a few more minutes.  You can also put it in your fridge and use it first.

If your jam doesn’t set, (get gel-like) you can use it as sour cherry syrup!

Over the years I’ve made many mistakes.  I’ve had jam not set, set too much, burn because I got distracted, and boil over in a super terrible mess.  It’s okay.  Sometimes it takes a few tries before you get the hang of things.  Don’t give up!

Related: No-Churn Sour Cherry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Pin me for later!

Picking and processing sour cherries is lots of work, but so worth the effort.  If this is your first time, start with one pail.  Try and team up with someone who has processed cherries before if you can.  You can ask questions and it’s really nice to have the company!

No mentor?  Join us on the Growing Roots Gardening Community on Facebook!  We’re a group of beginner to advanced gardeners from all over North America.  There’s always someone in the group who has an answer to your gardening problem.

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Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.