Black Cherry Jam Recipe - Easy Conserve Method! (2024)

Published on July 13, 2017 by Helen Best-Shaw 68 Comments
Last Updated on February 9, 2024

A delicious black cherry jam recipe using the conserve method; steeping the fruit in a sugar syrup before cooking, results in a jam bursting with flavour. No pectin and Gluten Free.

Cherry Jam Recipe

I find immense satisfaction in a bubbling preserving pan full of fruity goodness; making jams, chutneys or any other preserve is one of my favourite ways of spending an afternoon in the kitchen, and this recipe for a black cherry jam using the conserve method is perfect for these fruity treats of high summer.

See Also

• Use either fresh or frozen blueberries to makeblueberry jam
• Fig jamis easy and delicious with blue cheese
• Use a bag of berries from the freezer to make thismixed berry jam

I do love cherries, but they are a feast or famine fruit; the British cherry season is short, and so to make best use of the delicious fruit when they are available, we use them in all sorts of way: from eating the fresh fruit to including them in cakes as well as this recipe for jam, which means we can enjoy the flavour through the rest of the year.

What’s the Difference between a Jam and a Conserve?

When making a jam the fruit is sliced then cooked before the sugar is added.

For a conserve, whole fruit is steeped in a sugar syrup to draw out the juice, and the resulting mixture is then heated to a setting point.

By minimizing the time spent boiling the fruit, the conserve method keeps the shape of the fruit much better. I love the way this conserve has whole cherries in it, really emphasizing the natural fruit flavour and texture. Perfect with toast, and even better on top of a fresh, warm homemade scone.

How to make Easy Black Cherry Jam

Start by de-stoning the fruit; the easiest way to do this is with a cherry stoner. I find that by catching the stonefrom each fruit in my hand, I’m sure that the finished jam won’t be hiding any.It is undeniably messy but it’s far the best way of making sure that the jam won’t be a danger to teeth.

Second, once the fruit have been de-stoned, cut a couple of cups’ worth – about a third of the fruit – into quarters. Add the sugar and lemon juice to all the fruit, and leave the mixture to macerate for an hour. The sugar draws the juice out of the fruit, which means that the end result is really delicious and fruity, and not diluted by the addition of any water. After an hour the fruit will look like this:

Third, it’s time to cook. Prepare by placing clean jam jars in the oven set at 120°C/250°F/GM1 to sterilize. Transfer the cherry mixture to a large saucepan or preserving pan, and simmer gently to make sure that all the sugar is dissolved.

This recipe doesn’t use added pectin or jam sugar, just the pectin naturally found in lemon juice.

Fourth, once the sugar is dissolved, heat the mixture quickly to a rolling boil, and start testing to see if it’s set. I’ve got detailed notes on jam setting points on my blackberry and apply jelly recipe.; there are three main methods

• First is by temperature; carefully checking the mixture with an accurate electronic thermometer. The liquid should reach 105°C/221°.
• Second, the traditional test using a chilled plate. Place a side plate in the freezer. Once the jam is boiling, start testing by placing some jam on the plate and let it to cool. When you push your finger through, it’s reached setting point when you see a wrinkle up ahead of your finger. This technique takes a bit of practice.
• Third, you can test for setting by checking the way that the jam runs off a spoon. Take a spoonful from the pan and turn it vertically to tip out the jam. If it runs off, it hasn’t set. If, however a little remains on the spoon in a sort of wide drip that doesn’t fall, then the jam is ready.
  Again, this works best with some practice, but the advantage of small batch jam is that by making little and often, you tune your senses as to when the jam is done and will be able to see when it is ready by its appearance when it is boiling.

Finally, let the jam cool for about ten minutes, then spoon the sterilized jam into jars. A jam funnel is a great help here. Seal the lids while the jam is still hot. Allow to cool; you’ll hear the lids pop as the vacuum forms. It’s always a satisfying noise after a day with the preserving pan. Stick on a label and you’re all done – delicious, easy black cherry jam.

Jam Making 101

• How to make jam / jelly– everything you need to know to make batch after batch of delicious jam or jelly
• For an in depth look at the how and whys read my completeguide to jam setting point
• Jam vs jelly– just what is the difference between these two preserves?

Easy Black Cherry Jam – ingredient ratios

Making jams by ratio makes the recipes easy to scale up and down.

• Sugar is 83% of the weight of cherries
• 1 tbsp lemon juice per 500g of fruit.
• 250g of fruit makes about 600g of jam

More jam and jelly recipes

We love making jam and jelly to fill our pantry and are constantly adding new recipes – all with step by step photos and hints and tips so you can make the perfect batch of jam every time.

• Small batchblackberry jam– when you have only managed to forage a few blackberries
• 4 nectarines make 2 delicious jars ofnectarine jam
• Plum jamis delicious and easy to make
• a classic –blackberry and apple jam
• Rhubarb jamis pretty and pink and a ideal use of new season rhubarb
• a twist on a classic – try pear and blackberry jam
• All myjam and jelly recipesin one place to choose from