I used to think I hated cherries.
That felt like sacrilege for a girl who grew up near “The Cherry Capital of the World.” For years I dismissed cherries for two reasons: A) I disliked spitting out the pits—I was a tidy kid. B) The only cherry I knew without a pit was the neon maraschino type, and I still find those unappealing.
*A little trivia to jog the memory: does anyone recognize the region I mean?
I didn’t change my mind until after I moved away. A friend convinced me to try a freshly picked cherry, and I was stunned by the vivid, tart-sweet flavor. Suddenly spitting the pit wasn’t a problem at all. My appreciation was instant. But fresh cherries were expensive where I lived—on sale I rarely saw pre-picked cherries for under $2.99 per pound, and I wasn’t close enough to orchards to make pick-your-own practical. Then we moved again.
*One of my biggest childhood food regrets is being so stubbornly anti-cherry and anti-morel. Both grew abundantly in my childhood backyard, free for the taking.
Now I live in Amish country, where bulk buying and home canning are common. My neighbors’ habits have made pre-picked fruit affordable. This year I pitted sixty pounds of sweet black cherries and still have about thirty pounds of pre-pitted sour cherries to can. The black sweet cherries cost $0.70 per pound and the pre-pitted sour cherries were $1.26 per pound—bargains compared to the grocery store. You may have seen my Rum-Soaked Preserved Cherries and Boozy Cherry Molasses post, and I’ve long promised a Sweet Black Cherry Pie Filling recipe. If you’ve been waiting for a filling that doesn’t taste like glorified maraschino cherries or come from a pull-tab can, this is it.
*A little kitchen humor: I blame my children for the delay. C’mon—give me a laugh for some politico-culinary levity?
Why make your own pie filling instead of buying the canned version? For flavor, definitely, but also for health. Store-bought pie fillings often contain artificial flavors and additives. Homemade Sweet Black Cherry Pie Filling uses just five simple, pronounceable ingredients—no weird chemicals required.
Sweet Black Cherry Pie Filling is versatile. Of course you can bake a classic cherry pie with it, but you can also spoon it over cheesecake, layer it in a trifle with brownies and whipped cream, serve it with softened cream cheese and graham crackers, or use it in a no-bake Black Forest truffle tart. It’s a pantry staple worth making and keeping on hand.
Sweet Black Cherry Pie Filling: Printer Friendly Version
Adapted from The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
Yield: about 8 pint (500 mL) or 4 quart (1 L) jars
Ingredients:
- 10 pounds frozen sweet black cherries, thawed in the refrigerator for 24 hours
- 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup ClearJel (or Thermaflo or Permaflo)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
Position a colander over a large bowl. Pour the partially thawed cherries into the colander, cover lightly, and let them drain on the countertop, stirring occasionally, until you have collected 7 cups of juice in the bowl. Reserve both the juice and the cherries.
Prepare the canner, jars, and lids according to your standard canning procedures.
In a large stainless steel or enameled stockpot, whisk together the sugar, ClearJel, and cinnamon until evenly combined. Whisk in 4 cups of the reserved cherry juice. Place the pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly to avoid scorching. Continue boiling until the mixture thickens. Whisk in the lemon juice and return to a boil, stirring constantly. Allow the mixture to boil hard for 1 minute. Add the reserved cherries all at once, stir gently, and return to a boil while stirring constantly. Remove the pot from the heat.
You can freeze or can the remaining cherry juice, or use it to make Boozy Cherry Molasses by reducing the sugar and following similar directions.
Ladle the hot pie filling into hot jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace. Remove air bubbles with a long, flexible spatula or chopstick, wipe the jar rims, center the lids, and screw on the rings fingertip-tight.
Place jars in the canner and cover with hot tap water by at least 1 inch. Cover the canner and bring the water to a full rolling boil over high heat. Once boiling, process both pints and quarts for 35 minutes. After 35 minutes, turn off the heat, remove the lid, and let the jars sit in the water for an additional 5 minutes. Remove the jars to a cooling rack or towel-lined counter and let them cool undisturbed for 24 hours. After cooling, remove the rings, wipe the jars clean, and label. Properly sealed jars can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to a year.
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One last confession before you head to the kitchen: I have a small, guilty treat I call “Mommy’s Little Helper.” Scoop a spoonful of Nutella (you have one in your pantry, right?) and top it with a dollop of Sweet Black Cherry Pie Filling. Eat straight from the spoon. You can fancy it up on graham crackers or chocolate wafers, but honestly, the simple, naughty version is part of the fun. Consider yourself warned.