This recipe was developed by my dear friend Michaela Hayes of Crock & Jar!

Makes about 4 pints

1. Prepare water bath canner, jars and lids. * Wash cherries. You can pickle the cherries whole or pit them. If you pit them, reserve the pits, tie in cheesecloth and add the packet to the pickling liquid while heating for better flavor. If you don’t want to can your cherries, skip step 1 and refrigerate cherries after they cool in their liquid. Let cherries rest a few days before eating.
2. In a medium pan, combine all the ingredients except cherries and bring to a boil.
3. Lower heat and simmer liquid for 5 minutes to infuse with flavor.
4. Add cherries, continue cooking for 2 more minutes, and remove from heat.
5. Ladle cherries and liquid into warm canning jars, leaving 1⁄4 inch of headspace.
6. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if necessary by adding more hot liquid.
7. Wipe rim of jars and seal hand tight with lid.
8. Process jars in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
9. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed. Clean, label, and store jars.
10. For most delicious results, enjoy within one year!

Photography by Alexandra Grablewski