Soak cherries in cool water with a little vinegar (optional) for 15 minutes. Then sort removing any mushy or damaged fruit.

Remove the stems and rinse the cherries.

Remove the pits using a cherry pitter and let the cherries soak in a solution of lemon juice or asorbic acid to prevent them from discolouring.

Drain the cherries and fill your jars leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Tap the jars gently to help the cherries settle.

Add sugar to each jar (optional) to make a syrup in the jar then fill with boiling water. Alternatively fill the jars with boiling water, fruit juice, or a sugar syrup made separately.

Remove air bubbles from the jars, then wipe the rims clean with a damp kitchen towel or paper towel.

Place the lids and rings on finger tight and place into your hot water bath canner.

Process jars for 25 minutes adjusting the time to your altitude.

After processing remove the jars from the canner and let sit on a kitchen towel undisturbed for 24 hours. Then check the seals any jars that haven’t sealed will need to be refrigerated or reprocessed with a new lid.

Remove the rings and wash the jars in hot soapy water, dry and label before storing.