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Canning Cherries
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5 from 1 vote

Canning Cherries

This easy canning recipes lets you enjoy the taste of summer-fresh cherries all year long!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Additional Time15 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Canning
Author: Ashley Adamant

Ingredients

  • 11 lbs. sweet or sour cherries weighed whole before pitting
  • Canning syrup or juice*

Instructions

  • Prepare a water bath canner, pint jars, and two-piece lids.
  • Prepare the cherries by washing and then removing the stems. Pit the cherries using a pitter, metal straw, or chopstick.
  • If using sour cherries, place the pitted cherries into a bowl of cool water with a generous splash of lemon juice to prevent browning (or dissolve 1 teaspoon ascorbic acid into 1 gallon of cool water).
  • For a hot pack: Combine pitted cherries and syrup, bring to a boil. As soon as the syrup and cherries mixture is boiling, fill the prepared jars leaving 1/2-inch headspace between the liquid and the lid. Wipe the outside of the jars clean. Apply and adjust the lids until fingertight. Load into a water bath canner and process for 15 minutes. For raw pack instructions, canning times at higher altitudes, or if you're using a pressure canner, see the notes below.
  • Allow the processed jars to sit in the hot water bath canner for 5 minutes before removing with a jar lifter. If using a pressure canner, turn off the heat and let the water come to room temperature (and the pressure to 0) before removing the jars
  • Set the jars on a clean towel or drying rack, making sure there's at least one inch of space around each jar. Let the jars sit for 24 hours before checking the seal on each lid (refrigerate any jar without a proper seal), label, and store in a cool, dark, dry place for up to 18 months.

Notes

For 7 quarts use 17 1/2 pounds of whole cherries.
*To make extra light syrup, (which is what I recommend for canned cherries), combine water and sugar in these amounts:
    • For a 9-pint canner batch, mix 6 1/2 cups water and 3/4 cups sugar.
    • For a 7-quart canner batch, mix 10 1/2 cups water and 1 1/4 cup sugar.
For a sweeter syrup, refer to this table of canning syrups. Fruit juice, cherry syrup, or water can be used in place of the canning syrup if you prefer.
For a raw pack: Fill each jar with 1/2 cup of hot canning liquid and then add the cherries, gently shaking the cherries so they fill the jar out evenly. Cover the cherries with hot syrup, leaving 1/2-inch headspace between the top of the liquid and the bottom of the lid. Wipe the outside of the jars clean. Apply and adjust the lids until fingertight. Load into a water bath canner and process for 25 minutes.

Processing times for water bath canner (hot pack, pints):

  • 0–1,000 feet – 15 minutes; 1,001–6,000 feet – 20 minutes; above 6,000 – 25 minutes

Processing times for water bath canner (hot pack, quarts):

  • 0–1,000 feet – 20 minutes; 1,001–3,000 feet – 25 minutes; 3,001–6,000 feet – 30 minutes; above 6,000 – 35 minutes

Processing times for water bath canner (raw pack, pints or quarts):

  • 0–1,000 feet – 25 minutes; 1,001–3,000 feet – 30 minutes; 3,001–6,000 feet – 35 minutes; above 6,000 – 40 minutes

Processing times for dial-gauge pressure canner (hot pack, pints)

  • Processing time is 8 minutes; 0–2,000 feet – 6 PSI, 2,001–4,000 feet – 7 PSI; 4,001–6,000 feet – 8 PSI; 6,001–8,000 feet – 9 PSI

Processing times for dial-gauge pressure canner (hot pack quarts and raw pack, pints, and quarts):

  • Processing time is 10 minutes; 0–2,000 feet – 6 PSI, 2,001–4,000 feet – 7 PSI; 4,001–6,000 feet – 8 PSI; 6,001–8,000 feet – 9 PSI

Processing times for weighted-gauge pressure canner (hot pack, pints):

  • Processing time is 8 minutes; 0–1,000 feet – 5 PSI; above 1,000 feet – 10 PSI

Processing times for weighted-gauge pressure canner (hot pack quarts and raw pack pints and quarts):

  • Processing time is 10 minutes; 0–1,000 feet – 5 PSI; above 1,000 feet – 10 PSI