August is choke cherry season around here! We like chokecherry jelly, and since the fruit is free, I try to make it every year. Some years if I am busy, the birds get the berries first, crazy things! I have tried many chokecherry jelly recipes, and after many trial and error, I have developed this recipe that I love.
I enjoy canning. It is a lot of work, especially for some things, but I enjoy it anyways. Looking at those rows of jars…hearing the ‘pop!’, it makes me happy. And it is beautiful. Always make beautiful things.
I moved to a ranch house along the creek bottoms about two years ago, and this place is loaded with choke cherries. They grow in my yard and along the bridge over the creek. I had never tasted or used them before we moved here, but I quickly decided that I will not let any free food go unused…least of all fruit!
So, I perused Pinterest, recipe books and Google for a chokecherry jam recipe. And I found some. Problem was, they all are different, and some don’t work right. Finally I found two and kinda combined them to come up with my own that is pretty much perfect. At least in my opinion. 🙂
The method is pretty easy, actually. At least the way I do it.
How to make chokecherry jelly
First, give each of your kids a clean bucket and send them out to pick a few gallons. Just kidding! But they do usually find it fun, and chokecherries are easy to pick.
Some are bit red yet… normally try to pick them a little blacker. But around here it’s a race with the birds to pick them first! 😉
Then you wash them. I stir them around so the leaves and junk can come to the top. Then I scoop the trash out with my spoon.
How to make chokecherry juice for jelly
Simmer about 30-45 minutes, or until the fruit is soft and the juice is dark red. I confess I have never timed this. I’m bad about cooking by feel…
Wow! The kids an I picked about 4 gallons, and we got a gallon of juice! I see lots of jelly in my future… If you don’t have time to make it into jelly right now – you can store the juice in the fridge a few days, or freeze it to thaw for jelly later.
Making the wild chokecherry jelly
Pour 3 1/2 cups juice into a large kettle. It will boil up considerably, and to prevent the jelly from boiling over, you must add a teaspoon of butter. (If you need it dairy-free, you can omit the butter and just use a very large kettle. )
Add the lemon juice and pectin. Stir. Bring to a boil.
When the juice is boiling, add the sugar.
Bring to a rolling boil (boiling so hard you can’t stir it down) and continue to stir as it boils for 2 minutes. (This is where it will boil up and up and up. I boiled over two kettles of jelly on my stove. Please don’t be like me! Use a teaspoon of butter to prevent boiling over. Burnt on jelly is HARD to clean off. )
When the 2 minutes are up, you can skim the foam off if you like. It doesn’t have to be skimmed off, but looks prettier/clearer if you do. Just use a large spoon to scoop off the foam and discard.
Then you ladle it into jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space.
When the jars are full, wipe the rims with a clean cloth. (They might not seal if they have jelly splatters.)
Place a lid on each one, and a ring. Tighten to fingertip tightness. In other words, just tighten them with your fingertips –don’t use all of your strength! 🙂
Next, place them in a hot water bath. The boiling water should be about an inch over the jars.
The water in this canner is not deep enough! It should be over the top of all the jars.
Canning the jelly
Bring the water in the canner to a boil and let it boil for 5 minutes. If you live above 3,000 ft sea level, you need to check your county extension to see what the recommended processing time is for your area. I live at 6,000 ft, and I need to process them for 10 minutes.
Finally, remove the jars to cool. If the jelly isn’t set, I recommend not disturbing the jars for at least 24 hours. The pectin takes time to work.
Last but not least, stand back and admire your hard work!
And go make some room on your shelves for some yummy jelly!
Can I freeze choke cherry juice?
Do I have to use lemon juice?
Choke Cherry Jelly
Ingredients
- 3½ cups chokecherry juice
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon butter or margarine
- 1 pkg dry pectin 1.75 oz
- 4½ cups sugar
Instructions
- Pour juices in kettle.
- Add pectin, stir.
- Bring to a boil, add sugar and butter.
- Boil and stir for 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat, skim.
- Ladle into jars.
- Process in hot water bath for 5 minutes.
- Cool undisturbed for 24 hours.
Notes
Nutrition
http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2013/10/homestead-barn-hop-131.html
You’re making me want to go find choke cherries and make jelly! Lovely post 🙂
Thanks, Karyn!
Add a tablespoon or two of butter to your jelly when cooking to avoid the cooking over. It works great.
Thanks for the tip! I will definitely try that next batch. 🙂
I just made peach marmalade last week again. When I do cooked jams & jellies I do them ‘open kettle’ (quickly ladling the hot liquid into jars, putting the lids on, and letting them stand up-side-down overnight). I’ve never had trouble with them not sealing or unsealing later and it saves the processing. Would our lower altitude make a difference? -anne beiler
p.s. you do lovely photos. you should have a card business =)
Anne, I do think the altitude makes a difference. I know mom always did that method too, and really, 5 minutes is what is on the recipe in the box, so yeah, basically getting it hot. But when I have tried that, they mostly open. So out here you have to process them. 🙂
Yum!!! I wish we had had wild fruits! Not much in our desert wasteland to use. Where my mom lives in Tx, they have wild plums, and Om-Gee! They make the best jelly!!
Ah, my dear, I found your blog through pinterest and have been steadily perusing it for the past few days. You are such a talented photographer and gifted writer — your blog just feels ‘homey’. I don’t know how to explain, but I do like to visit!
I live in Alberta, Canada and love all things chokecherry! Such happy memories of eating pancakes as a kid slathered in chokecherry syrup.
Looking forward to reading more and hoping you are having a peaceful weekend! We have hoards of snow already and are heading into a small town today for my girlfriend’s wedding. Should be fun. 🙂
Thanks, Cheyenne!
Snow has hit here a few times too, but today it is lovely! Thanks for stopping by!
Hi!!! I;m so excited to try this we have a whole row of choke cherry trees! I am wondering how many cups of whole cherries do i need to start!!??
Thanks for sharing!!
Oh man! I am not sure! I just pick and pick, haha! I would say six cups or so would make one recipe?
I make them into syrup and I grind the berries after cooking them in a Foley food mill. For your jelly you just boil them, no grinding ? Right. Just boiling for juice.
Correct. I do not grind, just boil. 🙂
You recipe was very inspiring, unfortunately I did something wrong and my result looks brown. I simmered the chokecherries and noticed the red pale color but after a while just turn brown. What went wrong?
Hmm. I’m not sure… Did you go ahead and use it to make jelly? Sometimes mine looks kind of cloudy, but once I add the pectin, it becomes a beautiful clear red.
hi there. i made my chokecherry jam from frozen berries for the first time yesterday. looked good when cooking and smelled good. when i ran them through the food mill, the end product had a brownish tinge as well. i never have used frozen whole berries, i usually process everything right away, but tried something new. for me the only thing i can think of is that after thawing and cooking the seeds got soft and the food mill took a bit of that outer part of the seed. i am still googling to find out if i can figure it out. ugh. 15 jars in the bin. good thing i have an ice cream bucket full of juice to make jelly another day.
Did you make jelly or just stop after making juice? Often my juice looks cloudy and not very nice but when I cook it with sugar and pectin it gets clear and pretty.
did you grind entire berry ,, that could explain brown color,, you actually put in a cheesecloth and let hang to get just the juice.. in my secret recipe i add almond extract,, mmmmm
Kay, I made your chokecherry jelly recipe today and it turned out wonderfully! I’ve made it quite a few times, but never had a recipe that added lemon juice. I think it makes ALL the difference! From one ranchwife to another, I give you my hearty thanks!
Awesome! I’m so happy to hear that! 🙂
I live in the mountains in Montana where I get my choke cherry. Have to get there before the bears. Lol . It makes the best jelly. I do grind my berry’s a little after cooking you get more of the flavor out of the berry’s. Make sure tho not to bust the seeds while grinding. HAPPY. CANNING
What about the pits? Aren’t they poisonous?
Yes, the pits (and leaves, branches, etc) are toxic to humans and most animals. That is why I do not crush the pits. I simply strain. Cooking does not release the toxicity. Only the fruit’s flesh is edible. 🙂 Good question!
I made your recipe 2-3 hours ago and noticed that it hasn’t firmed up yet. Does it take it a while for it to set? The extra mixture in the bottom of my pot did firm up, so I’m surprised it hasn’t set yet. Any thoughts?
Sorry, I was gone most of the weekend! I have had some batches not set up… I use them for syrup over pancakes. 😀 But As to why… no, sometimes the natural pectin in the fruit may be different, or something. I’m not sure. I try to let them set 24 hours undisturbed, and that helps. How are yours by now?
I make jam and jelly for a living. Some jellies take up to two weeks to set up so be patient. Also be sure when you bring it to a boil that it’s REALLY boiling. Use a nice deep, heavy pot and a long handled spoon so you don’t get spattered.
Good luck!
Ah! That’s interesting! I know several times I have thought I screwed it up but later it has actually set up just fine. 🙂
I’m going to try making this sugar free for a loved one with diabetes today! I’ll use the sure jell pectin and the sweetener Swerve. I’ll let you know how it turns out!
Oh cool! Please let me know – if you get it to work, I would like to try that too. 🙂
Abudant chokecherries in SW Montana this year. I will try it.
Thanks Barb?
You’re welcome! I hope it turns out good!
Do you prepare your pectin as directed in step 2 on the box or just add it in powder form like it is? Thank you Kay, looking very much forward to trying out this recipe! Just picked the cherries last night.
I prepare the pectin as directed on the box. Hope it works for you!
Hi Kay, I apologize I had misread your directions, read them over again right after messaging you and tried the recipe…..turned out beautifully! Making more today as a matter of fact! Thank you again.
Wendie
Just made some chokecherry jelly from juice a friend sent me from Nebraska (I live in SW Michigan, a Winemaker at local winery). the juice came a bit thick as there was much pulp, but I followed the recipe in the package of Sure-Jell and in the “sour cherry” part it said 3 1/2 Cup of jice and 4 cups sugar… but I had just a bit over that. I used Balaton Cherry juice to make it to 4 cups and used 5 cups of sugar. Kind of followed the mint jelly ratio. However, I did not use any lemon juice and I think it resulted is a softer set.
When first few hours after cooling it looked very soft and not gelled. Next morning, Sunday the 28th it is looking more set. I read sometimes it takes 24-48 hours for the pectin to set the jelly. If I have to put it back in the pan I’m using the no-sugar pectin and about 1/2 to 3/4 tsp of citric acid (1 tsp = 4 Tbs Lemon Juice), as I think the juice did not have enough acid and I have made it before with lemon juice or Citric Acid added, but not this time.
You had said to boil 2 minutes after adding sugar and comes to a rolling boil. I boiled for about 1 min and 15 seconds, give or take a few seconds. Then I read online that over boiling or overcooking (temp) will damage the pectin. Sure – Jell says 1 minute of boil time, so I am curious how well the initial set is on your chokecherry jelly at 2 minutes boil time. I saved and printed the recipe. Thanks! – Vernon
Very interesting! Normally I have a good set – maybe it works because I use some slightly under-ripe berries, so there is more natural pectin? Occasionally i have a batch that doesn’t set well, but normally it sets ok. I will try boiling it less next time, and see if it changes. I do know that the sugar to pectin ratio is pretty important, so I try not to fudge that at all.
Kay, It just took a little time. The partial jar I had in the refrigerator I put out on the table. By Sunday evening it was nice and thick. The jars on the floor did not look “soft/runny” anymore. I put the partial jar in the refrigerator and had toast and chokecherry jelly for breakfast Monday morning. When I dipped out the jelly, the tack left from the spoon stayed in the jelly and did not ‘slosh’ away. I have read that it may take 24 – 48 hours to actually set up, and it did. I wanted to respond back for any readers that may have had similar issues.
Because the juice I got was so thick with pulp, there was no way to separate it, so it was more a jam/jelly than a pure jelly. Lot’s of chokecherry Jelly flavor! This juice came from around the Sandhills of Nebraska. When I lived in Crawford, NE there are an abundance of chokecherries along the white river and Deadman Creek area. They should ALL be starting to end their ripening now, if not already gone by the end of August.
I had used just a bit of Balaton Cherry (what we make our cherry wine out of) and the first batch was very high in Malic Acid, which may have been one of the reasons of such an initial soft set. I usually add lemon juice or citric acid as chokecherries are pretty anemic in acid since their is little pulp and much water used in extraction. Contrary, our Balaton Cherries we use for wine are all crushed, soaked for 24 hours to help extract color and then pressed. 100% juice from some 80 tons of fruit. That’s 160,000 lbs of cherries. BTW the primary acid of cherries is Malic, not Citric. Blueberries are Citric, and grapes are primarily Tartaric Acid for their primary acids. 3 important things for good jelly set. Enough pectin, enough sugar and enough acid. If the acid is lacking, or any of the other are out of balance too much it will either be very hard jelly or very soft jelly.
Came across your chokecherry recipe and plan to try today. I froze 5-6 ice cream buckets this summer if washed berries. In the past I have always mahed up the berries to get more mileage out of them ( not the pits) yes, the jellies are clody but still tasty. I haven’t tried lemon in it so will give it a try. We live in NE SD and have lots of chokecherries. I also picked and froze Nanking cherries to try. Have you used them?
No, I haven’t tried the cherries. They sound good, though!
3 batches done here, short juice for a 4th batch. Will pick up a little grape or apple juice to do that batch tomorrow. Have you used either in combination w chokecherry? Really good.
This reminds me of my childhood. ? We had so many chokecherry trees around our property. We’d pick them to eat while playing in the woods and our mom would make jelly with them too.
Thank you so much…
I found your post the most helpful of them all, and it worked for this old man that was craving something from my past.
Great! Glad it worked for you! Our chokecherries are still green. 🙂
Thank you! For some reason, the commercial pectin instructions no longer mention chokecherry. It’s one of my favourite childhood memories and tastes. I like the idea of lemon juice.
To answer a previous question about Nanking Cherries, I made jelly out of them a couple of years ago. The jelly was runny and very mild in flavour (insipid). I won’t be making jelly out of Nanking Cherries again.
Thank you for the review on Nanking cherries! And I hope this works for you! I never knew what chokecherries were, until I moved to Wyoming. 🙂 I like them but I fight the birds every year!
These bushes are ALL OVER our ranch here in Montana…. its crazy…. I haven’t made any jam or jelly in the last couple years (had a baby and had a serious bout with baby brain! and i lost the recipe).. This one sounds like it will be fantastic!! So i shall give it a try… I wish I only had birds to deal with….. Im lucky and have Grizzly and Black bears in my yard!! The pits are poisonous.. Ive had laying hens who thought it would be fun to go pig out on the yummy fruit!! and well….. they didn’t make it.!!
Oh! Bears are no fun! Yikes.
This recipe makes a great jelly but I am wondering why my yield was so far off. I followed the recipe and only got 5 half pints (8 oz jars).
Oh dear. I am not sure! I will check it next time I make it.
I am sorry, I had the wrong yield listed. I have this fixed now, thank you for bringing it to my attention!
This recipe should yield 7 cups (8 oz jars) of finished jelly. Mine usually makes 7 and 1/2 cups.
This is the best recipe for chokecherry jelly I have found. My jelly set up perfectly. Thanks
I never tasted choke cherry jelly before but I made your recipe tonight. It came out great! I got 7 half pints and it is setting up nicely. Think I’ll make more tomorrow. Delicious.
Awesome!Thanks for letting me know!
It’s been about 10 hours mine didn’t jell yet???
It may just need more time, although mine is usually set up by then.
I make a lot of jelly and also work as an Associate Winemaker. Research shows that you need to get enough acid in chokecherry juice to lower the pH to below 3.3 if possible I like to go to pH of 3.25. The lower the pH the harder the set. High pH will result in jelly that is runny. Just FYI.
Vernon
Thanks so much for your comment and knowledge, Vernon!
I moved into a home that has a bunch of chokecherry bushes in the front and searched for a recipe. This one was so good, easy to follow and I didn’t run into the issue of my jelly not setting! It’s so good and I highly recommend! This recipe will be going into my fav recipe collections!
Thank you for doing all the trial and error for us!
I’m so glad it worked for you!
We can’t have dairy. Anyone know if it will work with earth balance “butter” instead?
Your recipe says 3-5 cups of juice.
Does it make a difference in the results if you use 3, 4 or 5 cups?
Julie
Courtenay, BC, Canada
Hi Julie, I meant 3 point 5, or 3 1/2 cups. Does that make sense? Sorry for the confusion!
I made a batch of jelly using your recipe. It set well but when I tasted it,
the chokecherry flavor was overpowered by the lemon. I only use 2 Tbsps. in my recipe.
I live at sea level. That may make a difference.
Julie
It does have a lemon flavor – sorry if it was overpowering. I think I had to increase mine because it wasn’t ‘setting up’ properly. If you can use less then go ahead! 🙂
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I didn’t have enough choke cherries, but had some small pie cherries in the freezer. I used your recipe but used half choke cherries and half the others. It turned out wonderful! We moved into a new house last year and recently discovered a few chokecherry trees on the property. Next year I will start earlier and won’t have to lose so many to the birds and deer.
Awesome! Thank you! I know, the birds try to get mine every year too.
Can you freeze the jelly?
I don’t know – I have never tried that!
Hi Thanks so much——Name is Skip VanBuren , 72 years old-Hunter , trapper ,Taxidermist, RETIRED Boilermaker—Had fun in the kitchen this morning . followed your recipe and got 7 haft pints ——Haven’t had chokecherry jelly since Mom made it, Bless her she has been gone for 30 years—-I have pitted the berry’s and made pies before witch are very good——-Thank you again so MUCH for sharing your recipe————–skip
What if I use liquid pectin?
I haven’t tried that, I’m sure you can use it, but you may have to experiment with amounts.
What if it doesn’t set. I made a double batch once and it didn’t set.
Would it help if I were to lightly crush the cherries during the simmering process?
I do this with crab apples to release more juice into the mixture.
Have found a large area of cherries and am looking forward to harvesting them (assuming, of course, that I get to them before the birds!,)
Yes, I have started doing that too.
I made chokecherry jelly for the first time today. I lightly crushed the berries (after cooking) in a cone type strainer that has a wooden stir to turn around. Guess when you do this process it would be considered jam. My jelly turned out thicker than I would like and set up in a couple hours but it is very tasty. Should I add more water? If so, how much? I did use the Sure-Jell for less sugar (pink box) but I doubt this would cause it to be thicker.
Yes, using the low-sugar pectin could make it thicker. Also, green berries have natural pectin, so if there were a few berries less ripe, it could be the natural pectin affected the jelly. I hope you figured it out! Personally, I would just eat it the way it is, and try again next time.
Be careful in crushing. The seed inside cherries… ALL cherries contain a form of cyanide. It can cause a sort of bitter flavor and give an almost almond smell, but can also be adverse to your health.
I’ve used this recipe the past two years and it’s wonderful; thank you!
I picked a lot of chokecherries this morning and was planning to make jelly again but just realized the recipe calls for fresh lemon juice which I don’t have on hand. Would bottled RealLemon juice work instead?
Yes it would. Sorry I haven’t checked my comments on here for awhile!
I made choke cherry syrup with frozen berries. And it turned brown. Is it ok?
I would think so, but I have never tried that.
love the recipe. I make choke cherry jelly every year.and it turns out perfect….thanks.
Well thank you!! I appreciate that!
Made two batches tonight . It’s been a bumper crop of all sorts of berries in north eastern Ontario this year . Crossing my fingers all set up . Jars have been popping . Gotta live that eh , lol
Yes! I love the sound of jars popping! Hope it turns out good.
I’m located at 3700 feet above sea level so checked and I need to process for 15 minutes. Seeing as you are twice the height I would suggest rechecking your processing time. Just to be safe.
Wow! Thank you, thank you for sharing your recipe and know how! I made four batches using your recipe, but boiled the jelly almost 3 minutes. It came out perfect. Your helpful hints made it so easy and less scarey to try. Then I helped my neighbor, Dave, pick and make a couple of batches, and they came out great, too! I went out again this morning with two other friends and picked more choke cherries along the South Platte River in Littleton CO where we live. I think I’ve become the expert thanks to you. I’m passing around your recipe with the link to as many friends who are interested since we have the cherries to use. Thank you so much!
Thank you so much! I truly appreciate the review. I’m happy that it works so well for you.
Glad we found this recipe. Thank you.
I did add some wild apple to the pot that were growing next to the choke cherries.
Smells so good!
Cant wait!
Thanks for the recipe. I need to point out though that your processing information is incorrect. 0-1000’ is 5 minutes, 1001’-6000’ is 10 minutes and above 6000’ is 15 minutes. Please see the USDA standard at nchfp.uga.org
We made 5 batches last night and they turned out great!! I use a steam juicer though so I’d think it is a more concentrated juice. Does it affect taste? If not, I might go do it your way next time… which should be in the next few days.
I’m sorry I didn’t see this comment until now! I hope your jelly turned out ok. I think concentrated juice would likely make it stronger flavored.
Great recipe. I have a steamer pot that is perfect for cooking down the berries as the holes in the steamer part are just small enough to strain out the seeds and foreign material. I give it a final strain with a mesh strainer. First time I made this I didn’t let the choke cherries ripen enough. One thought about the color browning – if you have iron contamination it could darken and brown your color. This could come from a chipped enamel pot. I do dyeing with plants, and iron is used to darken or “sadden” colors.
A steamer sounds great! I should get one. And that’s interesting about the color. Dyeing with plants is so neat.
Years and years ago Mom passed down her measurements for chokecherry jelly since it wasn’t on the pectin sheet. I’ve always used 5 cups juice and 7 cups sugar with the rest of the recipe the same. Always the right consistency.
I love this recipe and I love your story about sending the kids out with buckets. Free fruit is the best … rhubarb, plums, choke cherries!! I don’t use quite as much lemon juice, but this jelly sets up beautifully and is always such a pretty color. I’ve been making this recipe for 3 years. Thanks so much for sharing. Year four and the cherries are ready! So am I 😊
I’m glad to hear it! 🙂
I used this recipe a couple of years ago. The directions were excellent! Made 3 different batches. They turned out perfect! I forgot to save or print the recipe😲 Thankful I was able to find it again! Just made a double batch & will make another double batch tomorrow!
Thanks for an awesome recipe!😃
Great! I am so glad it worked for you!
What is the butter for?!?! It’s not listed anywhere else in the directions- just in the ingredient list
The butter is to prevent the jelly from boiling over when you cook it. I mentioned it in the post, but I just now added it to the recipe card as well. Thanks for catching that!
My brother Mike and I went picking chokecherries and got carried away we have done a triple batch( was very hesitant about doing more than one batch at a time) We decided to do a triple batch And everything came out great. 22 jars done.we still have another batch to do and we have frozen two batches.
Great recipe Thanks tons!
Sorry but you are way off with this recipe unless one happens to love VERY sweet jelly. Also, 2 minutes of boil time is not enough to get this recipe to gel; could work as a loose syrup.
I’m very sorry this recipe didn’t work for you! Did you let the jelly set undisturbed for 24 hours? As I explained in the recipe, it needs to set for 24 hours minimum for the pectin to fully activate. I do like sweet jelly, so I guess that is simply a matter of taste preference. 😉
i make chokecherry jelly every August I kick it up with a dash of almond juice love the flavor!!!
Fantastic, sweet and tangy. My choke cherry bush finally produced enough to make jelly. I left some for the birds. The 1/2 cup of lemon juice enhances the chokecherries. This recipe calls for less sugar than the others I reviewed. This recipe is a keeper.
This jelly recipe was a waste of choke cherries. The jelly set up correctly and it was a pretty color but the lemon flavor is so overwhelming that you can’t taste the cherries. Based on another review I even reduced the lemon juice called for in the recipe. Everyone who has tasted this jelly was disappointed and no one cares to eat it.