Cherry Freezer Jam

Freezer jam is the lazy preserver’s best friend. No water bath, no sterilizing equipment, no marathon canning session. Just chop fresh cherries, stir with sugar and lemon juice, mix in cooked pectin, and pour into containers for the freezer.

The magic of freezer jam is the fresh-fruit flavor. Because the cherries themselves never get cooked (only the pectin liquid does), the jam tastes vibrantly of summer cherries instead of the slightly stewed, candy-like flavor of traditional cooked jam.

The stem-and-pit step is the only tedious part. A cherry pitter saves your fingers from purple stains and makes quick work of 1½ pounds. Chop the pitted cherries fine (about ⅛ inch) for a spoonable jam with little fruit pieces, or a little chunkier if you prefer texture.

The lemon juice is doing two jobs. It activates the pectin properly so the jam sets, and it sharpens the cherry flavor so the jam doesn’t taste cloyingly sweet. Don’t reduce it or skip it.

Let the filled containers sit at room temperature for a full 24 hours before freezing. The pectin needs that time to set up. Skip the rest and you’ll get cherry syrup instead of jam.

Pro Tips

• Use ripe but firm cherries. Mushy cherries give a watery jam; rock-hard cherries don’t have enough flavor.
• Sweet cherries (Bing, Rainier) give classic flavor; sour cherries (Montmorency) give a brighter, more tart jam (you may want to add a bit more sugar with sour cherries).
• Use plastic freezer containers or freezer-safe glass jars. Skip canning jars without freezer-rated lids; they can crack.
• Leave ½ inch headspace at the top of containers. Jam expands when frozen.

Variations

• Add 1 teaspoon of almond extract for that classic cherry-almond pairing.
• Splash in 2 tablespoons of kirsch (cherry brandy) or Amaretto for a grown-up flavor.
• Mix sweet and sour cherries half and half for a more complex jam.