Pickled Sweet Cherries

Pickled Sweet Cherries

This is a shared recipe from the Penzy Spice recipe site on the internet.  I thought it sounded interesting and will try this  when I am able to find the cherries.  Yield: 5 Pints

Ingredients:

2 cups water
2 1/2 cups white vinegar
2 cups sugar
5 bay leaves
7-8 peppercorns per jar
3 pounds cherries, washed and stems trimmed

Instructions:

Combine the water, vinegar and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil.

Place bay leaves and peppercorns into your jars. Pack the cherries in jars as tightly as you can manage, but without squashing them.

Pour brine over the cherries, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Instead of using a chopstick to remove any air bubbles, gently tap the jars on a towel-lined countertop so that the bubbles rise to the surface.

Wipe rims, apply lids and process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes.

When jars are cool, check seals. Eat cherries with cheese and feel joyful.