Small Batch Tart Cherry-Lime Jam

Small Batch Tart Cherry-Lime Jam

I think cherries are my favorite summer fruit! So tart, so sweet. And, just like summer, they’re gone in a flash! So I wanted to make the most of my summer cherries! This turns out to be my favorite jam that I make over and over, year after year!

I found some Balaton cherries at the market. They have a beautiful color and an assertive, full, tart flavor.

Balaton Cherries … tart full flavor

I finally got a cherry pitter. It makes really quick work of all those pits

I ate a few of the cherries straight, and made jam with some, and made syrup with the rest. Very yummy! And, these types of small batch jam and syrup methods may be used with all kinds of fruits.

Perfect little round tart orbs with no pits

I don’t actually go through the canning process (especially for this small of an amount of jam), but if you would like to do so, please follow the instructions from the USDA’s National Center for Home Food Preservation or the official site from the makers of Ball jars.

Tart Cherry Syrup is light and refreshing on a hot summer day

Small Batch Tart Cherry-Lime Jam Recipe

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Small Batch Tart Cherry-Lime Jam

Small Batch Tart Cherry-Lime Jam is my favorite jam! Sweet & tart, perfect for breakfast toast!

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Ingredients

• 2 cups pitted cherries
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ lime, zested and juiced

Instructions

1. Put all ingredients in a medium pot, and heat over medium-high. Cook until sugar has dissolved, and cherries start to break apart. Place cherry mixture in a blender, and puree until smooth. Pour puree back into saucepan, and continue to cook until jam is thick and mounds up on a spoon.
2. While the jam is cooking, prepare (get out and make sure they are squeaky clean) the jars you’ll use to store and/or give away the preserves. Transfer cooked jam to the clean ready jars.
   
3. Spread the jam on breakfast toast, or use it in a cherry dressing for salad.

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Tart Cherry Syrup

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• zest of one lime
• ½ cup pitted cherries

Instructions

1. Place sugar, water, and lime zest in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, let the sugar dissolve, and boil for one minute. Take off of the heat, and add in the cherries. Let steep for 20 minutes and strain out the solids. The syrup will keep in the fridge for a few weeks (if it lasts that long).