THE CHOKECHERRY (Prunus virginiana) is a shrub or small tree native to much of North America, mostly above the Mason-Dixon line. Here in Washington State, as in much of the Western U.S., chokecherries prefer drier habitats such as arid canyons, gullies, and scrubby benches above lakes or streams, where you’ll sometimes find them clustered with elderberries and serviceberries.
Named for their astringency, chokecherries get sweeter as they darken, but if you wait too long the birds and other critters will nab them first. And so, finding ourselves in a patch of not fully ripe chokecherries the other day, we picked them anyway.
At home we rinsed our chokecherries and then covered them with water in a kettle. The kitchen soon filled with a distinctive cherry aroma as they simmered on the stove. After processing the fruit we had a quart of fuchsia-colored juice which went right back into the pot.
The resulting jelly has a luminous color, right up there with rosehip Jelly. Even with added pectin, the jelly is soft and smooth, barely holding together, which is just how we like it.
This recipe is for 4 cups of chokecherry juice. It’s on the tart side. If you like your jelly sweeter, or you have less juice, adjust accordingly. You’ll need to add a commercial pectin because chokecherries are low in natural pectin.
4 cups chokecherry juice
5 cups sugar
1 package (1.75 oz) dry pectin
1/2 cup lemon juice
1. Cover chokecherries with water in a non-reactive stock pot and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes, occasionally mashing softened chokecherries with a potato masher. Allow to cool, then strain juice through cheesecloth.
2. Return 4 cups chokecherry juice to pot along with pectin and lemon juice. Bring to boil and add sugar, stirring. After a minute of hard boiling (careful not to foam over), reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring.
3. Remove from heat and skim foam. Ladle into sterilized canning jars, leaving 1/2 inch head room, and secure lids. Process jars in hot water bath for 10 minutes.
We have a wonderful harvest this year and I have been making lots of jelly and syrup. I agree with you that the colour is most appealing, and I wish more people would make use of these gorgeous little berries. Thanks for sharing your recipe and tips.
I have been making chokecherry jelly since I was a child and I agree that it is a special treat! One little trick I learned from my grandmother is to add a 1/2 tsp. almond extract to the pot of jelly after you skim off the foam that arises from the addition of the pectin. This extra tiny bit of complementary aromatic really sends the jelly into another realm!