Cherry Jam Recipe without Pectin

Prepping work before you start –

1. Wash and clean the cherries. Pit the cherries using a cherry pitter. Chop them into half. Keep 2 small plates in the freezer to use for jam test.

Cooking the jam -

1. Place the cherries in a sauce pan and cook on medium heat stirring constantly. With a potato masher or back of a wooden spoon mash the cherries. Place a plate in freezer for testing the consistency of jam.When cherries turn soft, add sugar, lemon juice and keep mashing and stirring. Once sugar begins to boil, add lemon juice and mix thoroughly.
2. Keep a sterilized clean and dry bottle ready.

Test jam consistency -

1. At this stage take a plate from freezer add few drops of the jam on the plate. Drop a blob of jam on to the freezer plate and leave it for few minutes. Press the jam with your index finger and if it wrinkles even a bit, jam is set. Jam has reached its correct consistency. Remove from flame immediately. Do not overcook it, the jam will turn hard.If the freezer plate test shows jam set, turn off flame immediately and transfer it into a sterile bottle and cover it tightly.
2. Store in a cool dry place. Always use clean dry spoon to scoop out the jam.