Cherries

Recipe Instructions Prepare Ball brand or Kerr brand jars and closures according to manufacturer's instructions. Raw Pack - Wash cherries; drain. Discard fruit that floats; it may contain worms. Make a light or medium syrup for sweet cherries, a medium or heavy syrup for sour cherries; keep syrup hot. Carefully ladle 1/2 cup hot syrup into hot jar. Fill jar with cherries. Gently shake jar to pack cherries closely without crushing, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Add hot syrup to cover cherries, if needed, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles with a nonmetallic spatula. Wipe jar rim clean. Place lid on jar with sealing compound next to glass. Screw band down evenly and firmly just until a point of resistance is met -- fingertip tight. Process pints and quarts 25 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Hot Pack - Wash cherries; drain. Measure cherries and put in a large saucepot. Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar for each quart of cherries. Cook mixture slowly until sugar dissolves and cherries are hot throughout. If cherries are unpitted, add just enough water to prevent sticking. Carefully ladle hot cherries and juice into hot jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Add boiling water or syrup to cover cherries, if needed, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles with a nonmetallic spatula. Wipe jar rim clean. Place lid on jar with sealing compound next to glass. Screw band down evenly and firmly just until a point of resistance is met -- fingertip tight. Process pints 15 minutes, quarts 20 minutes, in a boiling-water canner. At elevations higher than 1,000 feet, boil 2 additional minutes for each additional 1,000 feet elevation. This recipe yields ?? Comments: Pits may be left in or taken out depending upon how fruit is to be used. If pit is left in, prick each cherry with a sterilized needle to prevent bursting and shrinking. If canned without the pit, measure cherries after pit is removed. To prepare sugar syrup: Select the type of sugar syrup for canning peaches from the following chart. Combine sugar and water in a large saucepot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes. Keep sugar syrup hot while filling jars. For hot-pack method, heat cherries in syrup as directed in recipe.