Black cherries and apples make a delicious homemade jam.
Not more than a couple generations ago, making homemade jams and jellies was a commonplace activity in the kitchen. Fresh fruit jams, such as cherry-apple jam, were cooked and canned in the summer for use all year. Nowadays, most people have neither the time nor the inclination to stand in the kitchen for hours cooking and canning jam, but time-saving techniques make it possible for everyone to enjoy the taste of fresh cherry-apple jam.
Instructions
1. Open two 15 oz. cans of seedless black cherries and pour them into a three-quart microwavable casserole dish. Add one 14 oz. can of apple pie filling and 1/3 cup lemon juice. Stir the ingredients well to mix.
2. Microwave cooking helps cut down on time while making homemade recipes.
Cover the casserole dish and microwave on "high" for five to seven minutes. Using the microwave and ready-to-use fruits cuts down on work time.
3. Remove the casserole dish from the microwave. Use pot holders as the dish may be hot.
4. Stir three cups sugar and 1 tbsp. pectin into the cherry and apple mixture. Mix well until the sugar and pectin are completely dissolved. The pectin helps the fruits and liquid thicken into a jam.
5. Microwave on "high" with no lid on the casserole dish for 20 to 25 minutes. Stop after seven minutes to stir the jam well, then again after a total of 14 minutes to stir the mixture again. Remove the jam mixture from the microwave and stir well one last time.
6. Pint-sized canning or jelly jars are a good size to use for jam.
Scoop jam into sterilized canning jars, leaving about an inch space at the top of the jar. Wipe around the rim of the jar with a clean kitchen towel to make sure no spilled jam is stuck on the glass. Seal the lid of the jar and store the jam in a dark, cool pantry.
Tags: casserole dish, from microwave, making homemade, minutes stir, seven minutes, stir well
