Marmellata di Ciliegie

 

(Cherry Jam)

Our cherry jam is a true taste of summer from our family’s estate in Puglia, where we’re lucky to have fabulous cherry trees. Each year, we make the most of our abundant harvest, turning those sweet, juicy cherries into this luscious, homemade jam. Zia Lucia loves to give it as gifts, and we can’t get enough of it at breakfast on warm toast!  It’s the perfect way to capture the essence of our farm and enjoy a little piece of Puglia all year round. ❤️

TIP

Before making your jam, make sure you sterilise the jars. Here are 4 of the easiest ways to do so:
1. STERILISE JARS IN A POT

Place a clean cotton cloth on the bottom of a pot and place over the jars with the upward opening.
Wrap each jar in towels - individually. Cover with cold water and bring to boil on a high heat, letting
it simmer for about 30 minutes. Allow jars to cool in the pot with all the water and then pull them
out and let them dry with the opening down. Before using them, turn them over so that the vapour

and residual water evaporate.
2. STERILISE JARS IN DISHWASHER

Place the jars and the lids in the dishwasher with the opening down and select a high-temperature
wash, without soap. Allow the jars to cool and dry directly into the dishwasher before using. Turn

them over so that vapour and residual water evaporate.

3. STERILISE JARS IN THE OVEN

Place the jars with the opening upwards on a plate and place them in the oven. Turn on the oven
to bring it to 150°C (302°F) so that the glass, once in contact with the heat, does not break. Leave
the jars in the oven for at least 15 minutes then turn off the oven, add the lids using another plate

and allow to cool down with the oven door closed.
4. STERILISE JARS IN THE MICROWAVE

Fill the jars with water reaching half the height and place them in the microwave without their lids. Heat
until boiling, then remove the jars from the microwave, remove the water and let them dry on a cotton

dishcloth.

Remember: The lids cannot be sterilised in the microwave.

You can also sterilise your jars when already filled with jam by following one of the above

methods.

Ingredients:
1kg of cherries (net weight)

 200 grams of sugar (can be adjusted to preferred level of sweetness)

 2 lemons

Preparing the jam:
Wash the cherries and remove the stalks.
Pit them – this takes a while but it is worth it!

Place all the cherries into a bowl and add the sugar, lemon juice and the lemon rind from the two

lemons and mix well.

Let the cherries macerate for several hours or overnight to draw out their juices.

Place the cherries and their liquid into a saucepan.

Simmer, covered, for about 20-30 minutes, or until the cherries are quite soft and the liquid has
thickened enough so a wooden spoon will leave an open trail behind it when you scrape it along

the bottom of the saucepan.

Remove the lemon zest and using a hand blender, pulse them until you have the consistency you

like (or leave them whole – whatever you like)

Then let the cherries cool.

Once the cherry mixture has cooled completely, transfer it into your sterilised jars.
No need to add any extra thickening agent as the pectin in the cherries will do their thing!

Buon appetito!

Top tips:

Keeps well unopened in a fridge for up to 2 months or so.

 If you sterilise your container by boiling them for 10-15 minutes after sealing, they
can last upwards of a year. But even just tucked away in the fridge, a batch will last
for several weeks at least. Just how long I can’t say from experience, since it never

lasts that long in our house!

Make sure you sterilise your jars and lids to ensure that your jam remains safe to

eat.

Fabulous as a present.