Ground Cherry Jam
Ground Cherry Jam is a low-sugar or low-honey cooked jam made with Pomona’s Universal Pectin. Pomona’s Pectin contains no sugar or preservatives and jells reliably with low amounts of any sweetener.
Servings 5 cups
Ingredients
- 4 cups of mashed ground cherries
- 4 teaspoons calcium water see step #1
- ½ cup lemon juice this fruit requires extra lemon juice for canning safety
- ½ cup up to 1 cup honey or ¾ cup up to 2 cups sugar
- 3 teaspoons Pomona’s Pectin mixed with sweetener
Instructions
- Before you begin, prepare calcium water.To do this, combine ½ teaspoon calcium powder (in the small packet in your box of Pomona’s pectin) with ½ cup water in a small, clear jar with a lid. Shake well.Extra calcium water should be stored in the refrigerator for future use.
- Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. Wash lids and bands and set aside.
- Measure mashed ground cherries into sauce pan.
- Add calcium water and lemon juice and mix well.
- Measure sugar or room temperature honey into a bowl. Thoroughly mix pectin powder into sweetener. Set aside.
- Bring fruit mixture to a full boil. Add pectin-sweetener mixture, stirring vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve the pectin while the jam comes back up to a boil. Once the jam returns to a full boil, remove it from the heat.
- Remove hot jars from canner and fill jars with (marmalade/jam/jelly), leaving ¼ inch of headspace. Remove trapped air bubbles, wipe rims and put on lids and screw bands, tightening bands only to “fingertip tight” (until resistance is met, and then just the tiniest bit more).
- Place jars in the hot water, on the rack inside the canner. (Make sure jars are upright, not touching each other or the sides of the canner, and are covered with at least 1-2 inches of water). Place the lid on the canner, bring the canner to a rolling boil, and boil for 10 minutes. (Add 1 minute additional processing time for every 1000 feet above sea level.)
- Turn off heat and allow canner and jars to sit for 5 minutes. Then, remove jars from canner. Allow jars to cool undisturbed for 12-24 hours. Then, confirm that jars have sealed, then store properly. Eat within 1 year. Lasts 3 weeks once opened.
Can this be made using standard cherries?
We would recommend using THIS recipe and simply omitting the almond and cinnamon.
Can this recipe be doubled and/or tripled? I have about 50 plants this year just to make this jam!
It sure can! Happy jamming 😊
Do you have any other ground cherry recipes? I can’t find any from reliable sources except this one!
I’ve never seen red ground cherries. I’m not sure that is an accurate picture but I could be wrong. Do you have tips or a recipe for making a ground cherry jelly?
Hello Monica,
For Ground Cherry Jelly you will use 4 cups of juice, and then double the calcium water and the pectin. Everything else will stay the same.
Happy jamming!
Thank you! I will try that today.
I do have another question. Should I add water to the cherries and mash them to soften before juicing? The recipes all have different guidelines on adding water or not, and how much. Does it not matter?
We would recommend not using more than 1/2 cup water to your cherries.
These look exactly like my bush cherries.
I don’t see on any of these recipes the amount of jars it makes…am I overlooking it?
Hello Jessica,
You can find the estimated Serving Size just under the description of the recipe (has a little fork and knife next to it) 😊