Summary: The cherries are so beautiful and flavorful this time of year, and I always make jam for my boys (who love it alongside my cherry-spelt scones). I can never resist cardamom so decided to experiment by whisking some into my jam as it cooked down. Heaven. It's easy to double if you'd like but just remember to use a larger pot so the cherries are spread over a larger surface area.

Yield: 2-3 half-pints

Ingredients:

2 pounds sweet cherries, stemmed and pitted
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom (I use Guatemalan)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Instructions:

Fill a large canning pot with water, about 65% full, cover and set to boil. When it’s boiling, put your jars and lids in to sterilize them.

In the meantime, whisk the cardamom and sugar together. In a large, non-reactive stockpot, put the cherries, lemon juice and 1/3 of the sugar mixture. Set over medium-high heat and stir frequently until sugar melts, about 3 minutes. Add another 1/3 of the sugar mixture and stir until dissolved, 1-2 minutes. Then add the remaining sugar mixture and bring cherries to a boil, stirring frequently.

Set a candy thermometer in the pot, and when it reaches 220° Fahrenheit (about 30 minutes), remove your jars from the canning pot and ladle them full of cherry jam, leaving a 1/4” space at the top of each jar.

Put the lids on, screw the bands on tightly, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes