Cherry Pie Filling

Making my own cherry pie filling was a huge goal for me. Cherries were always one of my favorite fruits and when mom bought some cherry trees for the orchard I was ecstatic! I waited very impatiently as they grew and got flowers and finally gave a harvest of perfect beautiful cherries. 

I thought I would share my recipe for cherry pie filling with you so you too can know the joy of making your own cherry pie from scratch. This saves you so much time during the holidays for your 4th of July, Canada Day, or even Christmas cherry pie, for cobblers or crisps, and even for your delicious cherry cheesecakes. 

Are you ready? 

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photos of fresh cherries in a hanging basket | text Cherry Pie Filling by rosevinecottagegirls.com

 

What You Will Need For Cherry Pie Filling

  • Stockpot
  • Wooden Spoon
  • Rubber or silicone spatula
  • Boiling Water Canner with jar protecting rack
  • Ladle
  • Canning jar debubbler
  • Clean 4 pint jars
  • New canning jar lids and rings
  • Canning funnel
  • Clean cloth for wiping rims
  • Several layers of terrycloth towels
  • Hot jar grabber
  • Measuring cups
  • Measuring spoons
  • Cherry pitter
  • Candy thermometer

Cherry Pie Filling

  • 8 cups tart cherries
  • 2 1/2 cups sugar 
  • 1 Tbsp non-GMO cornstarch

Instructions

  1. First, wash, stem, and pit the cherries.
  2. Prepare your jars and lids so they are ready when the cherries are.
  3. Prepare the canner getting it heated up.
  4. Put the sugar and cornstarch in a pot. Add your cherries and let this sit for about 30 minutes until the juices begin to flow.
  5. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pot. Make sure the bulb is covered with juice. Stirring frequently, bring to a boil over medium heat. Once it starts to boil, continue stirring until the mixture reaches 212°F.
  6. Add the almond extract.
  7. Stirring continuously, bring the temperature back up to 212°F. Remove from heat.
  8. Ladle the hot filling into one hot jar at a time, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe the rim of the jar and attach lid and ring. Fill and close the remaining jars.
  9. Place the jars in a water bath canner and process for 15 minutes for pints. 
  10. After processing, remove the jars from the canner by lifting them straight up out of the water with the jar grabber and place them on some towels out of drafts. Let them sit undisturbed for 24 hours.
  11. Check the seals. Wash any sticky residue from the jars, label, and date them, and put them in your pantry in a cool dark place.
  12. Jars that aren’t sealed should be reheated and reprocessed with new lids, or put in the fridge and used within 2 weeks.

Print Recipe

Cherry Pie Filling

Cherry Pie Filling

Ingredients

  • 14 pounds sweet or sour cherries
  • 3 - 6 cups sugar 3 for sweet cherries, 6 for sour cherries
  • 1 cup non-GMO cornstarch

Instructions

First, wash, stem, and pit the cherries.
Prepare your jars and lids so they are ready when the cherries are.
Prepare the canner.
After pitting, put the cherries and 2 cups of the sugar in a large pot. Let this sit for about 15 minutes until the juices begin to flow.
Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pot. Make sure the bulb is cover with juice. Stirring frequently, bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once it starts to boil, continue stirring until the mixture reaches 212°F.
While that is heating up, in a small bowl combine the rest of the sugar and the cornstarch. Mix it up well and make sure there are no lumps. T
Stir the sugar mixture into the boiling cherries. Add the almond extract.
Stirring continuously, bring the temperature back up to 212°F. Remove from heat.
Ladle the hot filling into one hot jar at a time, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe the rim of the jar and attach lid and ring. Fill and close the remaining jars.
Place the jars in a water bath canner and process for 15 minutes for pints or 20 minutes for quarts. Remember to adjust processing time for your altitude.
After processing, remove the jars from the canner by lifting them straight up out of the water and place them on some towels out of drafts. Let them sit undisturbed for a minimum of 12 hours and up to 24.
Check the seals. Clean the jars, label, and date, and put in your pantry.
Jars that aren't sealed should be reheated and reprocessed with new lids, or put in the fridge and used within 2 weeks.

 

Before you go check out these other preserving and canning recipes:

Canning And Preserving Videos:

Farmhouse Kitchen Cooking

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