Farm Fresh to Favorite Recipes: Cherries

My family has been going to Door County, Wisconsin since my Dad was a teenager (late 1960’s) and we enjoyed visiting my grandparents cabin right on the water every summer until it was sold 50+ years later. Door County has so many special memories for our family – my parents went on their honeymoon there, I went for the first time when I was just weeks old, sleepovers on the screened in porch and bike rides with my grandparents, endless time spent swimming, waterskiing, and exploring the area. This is where my Mom asked us to spread her ashes, Pebble Beach will always be a place we cherish.

This past summer I was able to go with my Dad, two brothers, and my sister-in-law. For the first time we were there during the peak of cherry harvest season (mid-July through early August)! I gathered up the crew and we headed out to pick cherries so I could make cherry almond jam (see recipe below).

The Farm Visit: The Lautenbach’s Orchard in Fish Creek has been harvesting and producing fruit products since 1955. The farm is located on 100 acres of orchards and vineyards and includes a cider mill, winery, farm market and bakery. The family estate is a working farm and the cider press is housed in a restored dairy barn.

Picking Cherries: I paid a flat rate of $15 for a large pail and we headed out into the orchard. We were given instructions on what trees to pick from and my Dad & older brother contributed cherries to my pail. We were told to look for cherries that are red (not orange) and if the pits pull out when we picked them then they are not ripe yet. We had it filled up and overflowing within 15 minutes! The variety we were picking was Tart Montmorency.

Celebrating my Mom: I know my Mom would have LOVED picking these cherries with us and then we would have taken them home to clean, pit, and make jam together. The entire time we were on this trip we were sharing fond memories of our time in this area over the years. It’s been almost 4 years since my Mom’s passing now, but there is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of her and wrap her up in my loving care.

Into the Kitchen: When we returned to Iowa to my Dad’s lake house (a few days later) I washed and pitted all of the cherries and then froze them in two large ziplock bags. This was my first time pitting a large quantity of cherries and I learned that you should put the cherries in ice cold water right before pitting – this keeps the cherries firm and they don’t collapse when you remove the pit. I then transported them home in my carry on for my flight. Once I got home I put them in the fridge overnight to thaw and then placed all of them in a large pot on the stovetop to make Cherry Almond jam! Follow the step by step instructions below if you’d like to make your own cherry almond jam.

Homemade Cherry Almond Jam

Ingredients:

• 64 oz. fresh tart cherries (8 cups)
• 8 cups of sugar
• 2 packages of Certo Liquid Fruit Pectin
• 12 oz. amaretto liquor (I purchased mini bottles for $4 at the grocery store)
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

Step One: Make sure your cherries are clean – you can use water or use a fruit and vegetable wash – let drain for ~10 minutes.

Step Two: Put the clean cherries, sugar, lemon juice and amaretto in a large saucepan and bring to a full roiling boil (this is a boil that does not stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, boil for 1 minute while stirring constantly. 

Step Three: Stir in the two packages of liquid fruit pectin, return to a full roiling boil for 1 minute while stirring constantly. Remove from the heat while you gather your jars and a large 4 cup Pyrex measuring cup (you can use a ladle but I prefer pouring, it’s less messy). 

Step Five: Pour a portion of the jam mixture into your large Pyrex measuring cup and fill up the jars within 1/2″ of the top. You’ll need to fill up your large measuring cup a few times to fill all of the jars. Wipe down the outside of the jars (if needed) with a damp cleaning rag and cover with the two piece lids screwing the lid on tight. You should have 14-16 half pint jars filled with fresh cherry almond jam when you are done.

Step Six: If you don’t want to refrigerate all of the jars of jam you’ll need to seal your cans. This is pretty simple! Take the largest pot you have and put in as many jars of the jam as possible into the pot – my 8 quart pot holds 6 jars easily. Fill the pot up with water until the jars are covered with 1-2″ of water. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil – boil for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the jars (I use tongs) and place them on a kitchen towel to cool completely. 

Step Seven: After the jars have cooled completely you can check the seals by pressing the middle of the lid with your finger – if the lid springs back the lids are not sealed and you’ll need to refrigerate the jars. If the lid does not spring back then it is safe to store in your pantry for ~ 1 year. Enjoy!

Onto the Table: I made some small brown sugar shortcake biscuits and then served the biscuits on a bed of whipped cream drizzled with the cherry almond jam – it was delicious!