Chokecherry Syrup

RECIPE by Sheri Kisch

Ingredients:
5 cups chokecherry juice
6 cups sugar
1 cup white corn syrup

Combine juice and syrup in a large pan and bring to a boil while stirring. Add the sugar and continue stirring to dissolve. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, skim off any foam that has formed and pour into hot pint jars to within ½ inch.

Clean the rim and screw on hot lid and band to hand tighten. Place in hot water canner and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a steady boil and process 15 minutes (or as to your elevation). Shut off heat, remove lid and let sit 5 minutes and then remove from canner. Let jars sit for 24 hours.

The biggest difference in whether you get jelly or syrup out of a recipe is the amount of water that is added to the juice (to make even cup amounts or straining the pulp again to get all the juice out).

Chokecherries have a lot of natural pectin. Pectin in fruit decreases as fruit ripens. It is good to pick 3/4 to 7/8 ripe, and 1/4 to 1/8 less ripe berries depending on whether you use dry pectin. It is not recommended to crush or grind the seeds in processing juice because they contain cyanide.