Sour cherry jam with less sugar

Name: Sour cherry jam with less sugar - Tiberia H.
Ingredients: 1 kg of pitted fruits (sour cherries; cherries; strawberries); here I prepared from 2.5 kg 500 g of granulated sugar (maximum) for 1 kg of fruit; optional vanilla pod or vanilla sugar.

Jam - Sour cherry jam with less sugar by Tiberia H. - Recipia

Sour Cherry Jam with Less Sugar Sour cherries with a slight tartness are the most suitable for this jam. They should not be overly ripe, especially if you want them to retain their shape. The fruits won't stay as firm as in a jam cooked in syrup, but they won’t completely break down like in a preserve. The result is a jam with soft, whole fruits and a moderate consistency. The method involves boiling the cherries without sugar first, adding the sugar only in the last half hour. This way, the sugar doesn’t burn and stick easily to the bottom of the pot, allowing the cherries to simmer without constant stirring. QUICK INFO Total Time: not precisely specified; preparation takes as long as necessary for the fruits to reduce to about half, followed by the last half hour with sugar. Preparation Time: washing, pitting, and cleaning – depending on the amount of fruit. Cooking Time: about 15 minutes until some juice is removed, then boiling until reduced; sugar is added in the last half hour. Servings: the amount obtained depends on how much juice the cherries release and how much is reduced through boiling. Difficulty: medium. Recipe Type: fruit jam for pantry or refrigerator. INGREDIENTS For approximately 1 kg of pitted fruit: 1 kg sour cherries, preferably slightly tart and not overly ripe. Up to 500 g granulated sugar, added to taste. Optional: a vanilla pod or vanilla sugar. In a larger batch recipe, 2.5 kg of pitted cherries and 500 g of sugar were used. The amount of sugar can be adjusted based on the tartness of the fruits and the preference for a less sweet jam. Keep in mind that sugar also contributes to preservation, not just flavor. PREPARATION METHOD 1. Sort and wash the cherries. Wash the fruits thoroughly and remove any damaged, moldy, or spoiled cherries. Even a few spoiled fruits can affect the entire batch of jam. Remove the stems and pits. To keep the cherries as whole as possible, use a pitter. Fruits can be broken by hand when making preserves, but for jam, it’s better to keep them whole. 2. Start boiling the fruits. Place the cherries in a tall pot. Initially, keep the heat medium. When the fruits start to release their juice and begin to boil, reduce the heat to the minimum. Do not add water. The cherries will release enough juice as they heat up. Water is only necessary in special situations, for fruits or ingredients that do not contain enough liquid, such as green walnuts. Do not cover the pot. Boiling without a lid helps evaporate liquid and gradually reduce the mixture. 3. Remove the foam. A foam will form on the surface of the jam. Skim it off with a slotted spoon or a ladle and place it in a deep dish. Remove the foam as it appears without vigorously stirring the fruits. 4. Reduce the juice. After about 15 minutes of boiling, when the cherries have released a lot of juice, you can remove some of the liquid. In the original recipe, five small ladles of juice were removed, which were used separately to make a syrup. After removing, if necessary, some of the juice, let the cherries continue to boil until their volume is reduced to about half. Stir occasionally and gently to avoid crushing the fruits. The boiling should be done on very low heat. Quality pots made of ceramic, stainless steel, or enameled with a double bottom are suitable. If the flame is too strong, you can place a piece of metal between the stove and the pot. The idea is for the jam to simmer slowly and not stick. 5. Prepare the jars. While the fruits are boiling, wash the jars with detergent and rinse them very well. Place them on the oven rack; they can also be laid down. Preheat the oven to maximum temperature and leave the jars there for 20-30 minutes. Then turn off the oven and leave the jars inside until the jam is ready. This way, they will remain warm and dry when filled. The lids should be scalded for a few minutes in boiling water and then left to dry next to the jars in the warm oven, but only after the oven has been turned off. 6. Add the sugar. Sugar is added only in the last half hour of boiling. Add it gradually and taste after each addition. The cherries can be sweeter or more tart, and a fixed amount isn’t suitable for every situation. For 1 kg of pitted fruit, up to 500 g of sugar can be used, but the amount can be less. In this variant, the jam was made with less sugar than in classic recipes. If using vanilla, add it at this stage, either as a pod or vanilla sugar. Do not stir too often. The less you stir, the better chance the cherries will keep their shape. Also, be more attentive to the bottom of the pot now, as sugar can stick or caramelize if the heat is too high. 7. Fill the jars. The jam should be poured hot into perfectly clean, dry, and warmed jars. Before pouring in the entire amount, place a teaspoon of jam in each jar. The glass will warm gradually and be less exposed to thermal shock. Fill the jars, then immediately seal them with airtight lids. Turn the jars upside down and leave them for a few minutes. If there is a small opening around the lid, the hot jam can fill and seal it. WHY I MAKE THIS RECIPE OFTEN I love it because the cherries are cooked without sugar in the first part, and the pot doesn’t need constant supervision and stirring. This method is especially useful for larger quantities, when the fruits release a lot of juice and need to be gradually reduced. The jam is less sweet than regular versions and retains the tart flavor of the cherries. The fruits keep their shape, even though the final texture is soft and not firm. TIPS AND VARIATIONS Tips Choose healthy cherries, free of spoiled fruits. This is one of the most important steps for preserving the jam. Do not add water. The natural juice of the fruits is sufficient, and extra liquid would prolong boiling. Start with medium heat only until the cherries begin to boil. After that, reduce the heat to the minimum. Do not boil the jam in thin pots or over high heat. Sugar added at the end can burn, and the taste and color can change. Sugar is also a preservative. A jam with very little sugar does not have the same stability as one with a larger quantity, and this recipe has not been tested for long-term preservation under all conditions. Substitutions Cherries can be replaced with sweet cherries or strawberries, keeping the basic principle: fruits are weighed without pits or removed parts, and sugar is adjusted to taste. Variations You can use a vanilla pod or vanilla sugar. Otherwise, the recipe remains the same. The amount of sugar can be reduced depending on the acidity of the fruits, but it should be remembered that reducing sugar affects preservation. Serving Ideas Sour cherry jam can be served plain, on bread, alongside pancakes, or with desserts that are not overly sweet. It can also be used as a filling for cakes, provided it is well cooled beforehand. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Why are the cherries boiled without sugar at first? Sugar can caramelize, burn, and stick to the bottom of the pot. If the fruits are boiled first without sugar, they reduce in their own juice and do not need to be stirred constantly. Can I keep all the juice released by the cherries? Yes, but boiling will take longer since a larger amount of liquid needs to be evaporated. In this recipe, some juice was removed after about 15 minutes and used to make a syrup. Why don’t the cherries remain firm? This recipe does not aim to achieve firm, candied fruits. The cherries retain their shape but have a soft to moderate consistency, between jam and preserve. How much sugar is added for 1 kg of cherries? Up to 500 g of sugar can be used for 1 kg of pitted fruit. The exact amount depends on how tart the cherries are and the desired taste. In the variant with 2.5 kg of cherries, 500 g of sugar was used. Do the jars need to be stored upside down? After filling and sealing the jars, they are turned upside down for a few minutes. This is a step included in the method used here to help seal any small openings in the lid. NUTRITIONAL VALUES Values are estimated and depend on the amount of sugar used and how much juice evaporates. For the version with 1 kg of cherries and 500 g of sugar, 100 g of jam contains approximately: 165-170 kcal 40-43 g carbohydrates 0-1 g protein 0 g fat The amount of sugar can vary considerably. If only 500 g of sugar is used for 2.5 kg of cherries, the energy value for 100 g will be lower than in the calculation above. Any additional values from vanilla sugar are not included. STORAGE AND REHEATING The jars are sealed while the jam is hot, then left to cool. Store them in a cool, dark place or in the refrigerator. Since this variant has less sugar, it cannot be considered as stable as a jam with a larger amount of sugar. The source of the recipe mentions that a jar of blueberry jam made with 400 g of sugar per 1 kg of fruit stored well in apartment conditions, but the storage duration may vary from batch to batch. After opening, the jar should be kept in the refrigerator and consumed within a reasonable time. If any unusual smells, tastes, mold, or changes occur, the jam should not be consumed. The jam does not need reheating before serving. If used in a dessert and needs to be thinned, only heat the necessary amount, not the entire jar.

Ingredients

1 kg of pitted fruits (sour cherries
cherries
strawberries)
here I prepared from 2.5 kg 500 g of granulated sugar (maximum) for 1 kg of fruit
optional vanilla pod or vanilla sugar.

Sour cherry jam with less sugar

Ingredients

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