I made this jam and jarred it. Just then, I got a call that my hairdresser could fit me in! The angels were singing as I rushed to the salon with ridiculous roots and straw like ends… Upon my return, freshly coifed and blonde again (at least, that’s the color as of late), I enter my kitchen and immediately go slack jawed. It looks like a scene out of Dexter, except no neatly taped plastic or meticulously arranged… eeerrrr… tools. Cherries are messy business, yo! My knife was clearly the murder weapon resting atop the splattered cutting board and the cherry pitter was a sticky red torture device… Like I went medieval up in here. Upon closer inspection I found cherry “blood” splattered on the white tile floor, the cabinets, the stove top, the tile… it was everywhere. The good news? This jam is legit. The flavor of summer in those cherries, I tell you! The addition of the kumquats gave it a tang that gets you right here (touches side of jaw and squints eye). Hurry up and make this while cherries are in. You will not regret it when you get to pull a jar of summer out of your cupboard in December.

You will need the following:

* 4 cups pitted and chopped cherries

* 1/2 cup seeded and finely diced kumquats (you will lose most of the juice when cutting. That’s ok! The flavor you’re after is in the skin)

* 4 3/4 cups sugar (I prefer turbinado and like to sub one cup for brown sugar)

* 1 box sure-jel pectin

Directions:

1. Place fruit in a large heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium high heat.

2. Add pectin and bring to a rolling boil (a boil that continues even when you’re stirring), stir often.

3. Once you’ve reached your boil, add sugar all at once and combine.

4. Bring back up to a rolling boil and let it cook for one minute more.

5. Remove from heat, pour into sterilized jars and screw on lids. Once lids are fastened, flip over and allow to cool lid side down to ensure a good seal.

Tip: I pour my jam into a four cup measuring cup. The size and the spout makes it easier to manage when filling the jars.