How to Process Cherries:
Wash your jars, lids and bands, and any other tools you plan to use in hot, soapy water. You’ll want to plan the correct number of jars for your recipe.
Begin by sterilizing the jars. Place your canning rack inside the canning pot. Load with your empty canning jars. Fill the open jars (without lids) and pot with water to 1” above the rim of the jars. Place on your stove and bring to a boil. You’ll want to plan ahead, having your produce ready to add to the jars as soon as your jars are sterilized, with no lag between. Boil for 10 minutes to sterilize the jars.
Prep your cherries, removing stems. Rinse to remove any dirt, and do not use any overripe fruit or fruit that is damaged. You can remove the pits or leave them in! We do it both ways, depending on how we plan to use the fruit later (and depending on how much time we have!)
Using a jar lifter or tongs, remove jars from the hot water and pour the hot water out. Place hot jars on a clean surface. (I like to use a board).
Pack your cherries into the jars.
Make a syrup mixture using 1 part honey to 3 parts very hot water (you can also make a syrup with sugar if you prefer). This is when a ladle or a funnel can be helpful. Pour the syrup over your cherries, leaving about ½ inch of headspace, meaning do not fill 1/2” space below the top of the jar. (As a general rule, you’ll leave ½” inch headspace for fruits and tomatoes. All canning recipes specify the amount of headspace required.)
Use a nonmetallic bubble tool or a spatula to gently scrape along the inner sides of each jar, releasing any air pockets.
With a clean, damp cloth dabbed in white vinegar, wipe the top rims of the jars to remove any food or syrup. This will help ensure a proper seal. Place a lid (freshly cleaned in hot, soapy water) on each jar, then a band. Using just three fingertips, screw the bands on to finger-tightness. Do not over-tighten! Using just your fingertips to twist will prevent you from overtightening, which interferes with a proper seal—air must release from the jars during processing and cooling.
Carefully lower each filled and lidded jar back into the canner. When all the jars are loaded, the water level should be 1-2 inches above the tops of the jars so that the jars remain covered with water through processing. Cover your canning pot with its lid, and return the pot to a boil. Begin timing the canning process when the water begins to boil.
Leave the jars in the boiling water for the entire processing time. Every recipe will have a recommended time, and to ensure food safety, it is important to follow these tested times. For cherries, the recommended processing time is 15 minutes for pints and 20 minutes for quarts. Make sure the boiling is continuous; if it is paused, you have to restart your time. (If you live more than 1000 ft above sea level, you’ll need to adjust the processing time. See the Altitude Adjustment Chart below). When the time is up, turn the burner off, remove the pot’s lid, and let the jars sit for about 5 minutes in the hot water.
Using jar lifter or tongs, remove each jar from the water-bath canner. I like to place mine on a wooden cutting board or a towel-covered surface, with at least an inch of space between jars to allow air circulation. Allow the jars to sit here for 24 hours, without being moved and without tightening bands. Just let them rest, so as not to interfere with the seal formation process. Do not expose jars to any sudden temperature changes.
Lightly press on the edge of the lids to ensure a proper seal has been made. Another benefit to using Superb lids is they have a distinctive popping sound that lets you know a seal has been formed.
After at least 18 hours have passed, carefully remove each band and wipe each jar clean. Store in a cool, dark place. We recommend you store your canned foods in a cool, dry location away from sunlight, ideally between 50 °F and 70 °F (but above freezing and below 85 °F will do!).
For Pears:
Follow the instructions above, making the following adjustments for pears. Wash your pears and cut in half lengthwise; then remove the core. Optional: To prevent darkening during heating, you may choose to dip pears into an ascorbic acid solution (3000 mg ascorbic acid to 1 gallon water) and then drain.
We recommend “hot packing” pears, which means you cook them prior to placing them in the jars. Make a quick syrup out of 3 parts water to 1 part honey, as above. Add pears and syrup to a pot and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Then ladle the hot pears into hot jars, leaving ½” headspace, and cover with hot syrup, maintaining the ½” headspace. Remove bubbles or air pockets, wipe jar rims, and place the lids on as described above. Process using water-bath canning for 20 minutes for pints or 25 minutes for quarts. Adjust for altitude, according to chart below.
For Tomatoes, Whole or Halved:
When the tomatoes come in, we have our hands full. We use a lot of tomatoes through the year, so growing and canning our own can be a big cost savings. When using water-bath canning, you must add an acid to each jar to make the contents more acidic than tomatoes are on their own. We will go into more detail next month about the relationship between acidity, temperature, and pressure for safe canning. For now, just know this is necessary for your safety! See the Acidifying Tomatoes for Water-Bath Canning Safety chart below, and please be sure to follow it!
Wash tomatoes, and loosen their skins by dipping them into boiling water for about one minute, then toss them into cold water. This makes it much easier to remove the peel and core. Depending on size, you can cut your tomatoes into halves, quarters, or leave whole. Place your tomatoes in a pot and add water to cover them. Boil for 5 minutes.
While you are waiting for the boil, add acidifying ingredient (chart below) to each hot canning jar. Salt is optional (1 tsp per quart, ½ tsp per pint) and is only for taste—the small amount of salt used does not play a role in preserving your tomatoes, so feel free to leave it out if you’re watching your sodium intake.
When the 5 minutes is up, ladle the tomatoes into each jar (the jars and the tomatoes should both be hot for your hot pack), leaving ½” headspace. Add boiling water to cover the tomatoes, still maintaining the ½” headspace. Use a spatula or bubble tool to release any air bubbles, wipe the jar rims clean, and add lids as described above (do not overtighten!). Process pints for 40 minutes and quarts for 45 minutes. Adjust for altitude, according to chart below.
Acidifying Tomatoes for Water-Bath Canning Safety
Acidifying ingredient: | Amount per quart jar | Amount per pint jar |
Bottled Lemon Juice (not fresh) | 2 Tbsp | 1 Tbsp |
Citric Acid | ½ tsp | ¼ tsp |
You now have 7 quarts of food stored away for later use, without needing refrigerator or freezer space. As long as your seal lasts, which should be years, your food is safe to eat. However, quality will degrade—taste, texture, color, and nutrients all are diminished over time, so most folks aim for canning a supply that lasts you a year or two, and restock during the next year’s harvest.
Altitude Adjustment for WATER-BATH CANNING FRUITS AND TOMATOES
Altitude 1001-3000 feet | Add 5 minutes to processing time |
Altitude 3001-6000 feet | Add 10 minutes to processing time |
Altitude 6001-8000 feet | Add 15 minutes to processing time |
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