Safety classification
Tested
Testing authority: National Center for Home Food Preservation (University of Georgia / USDA-derived guidance)
Safety reviewed: 09/13/2026
Processing details
Source & provenance
Safety summary
Use the full pouch of liquid pectin after the 1-minute full boil and retain the tested cherry, sugar, and acid proportions.
Processing details
- Method
- Boiling Water
- Pack style
- Hot
- Jar sizes
- Half-Pint or Pint Jars
- Headspace
- 1/2 inch
- Processing time
- 15 minutes at 0–1,000 ft; 20 minutes at 1,001–6,000 ft; 25 minutes above 6,000 ft.
Tested source
Safety status: Tested authoritative recipe. Original source. Use the full pouch of liquid pectin after the 1-minute full boil and retain the tested cherry, sugar, and acid proportions.
Preparation timeline
- Prepare clean jars, cookware, and ingredients.
- Prepare and crush sweet cherries, combine with the specified ingredients, complete the full boil, add the full liquid-pectin pouch, and fill hot.
- Fill half-pints or pints, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
- 15 minutes at 0–1,000 ft; 20 minutes at 1,001–6,000 ft; 25 minutes above 6,000 ft.
Equipment
Boiling-water canner, nonreactive cookware, preparation tools, jar lifter, and half-pints or pints.
Visual method guide
- Prepare: Follow the source-specific preparation.
- Pack: Hot pack; 1/2 inch.
- Process: 15 minutes at 0–1,000 ft; 20 minutes at 1,001–6,000 ft; 25 minutes above 6,000 ft.
- Check: Discard any product showing spoilage.
Safety essentials
Use the full pouch of liquid pectin after the 1-minute full boil and retain the tested cherry, sugar, and acid proportions.
About this recipe
Sweet Cherry Topping is a tested home-canning recipe.
Before you begin
- Method
- Boiling-water
canning - Pack
- Hot pack
- Jar size
- Half-pints or pints
- Headspace
- 1/2 inch
Altitude and processing schedule
15 minutes at 0–1,000 ft; 20 minutes at 1,001–6,000 ft; 25 minutes above 6,000 ft.
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Sweet Cherry Topping — NCHFP
Ingredients
- 5 cups pitted halved Bing cherries about 2.5 lb as purchased
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 fl oz liquid pectin one pouch
Equipment
- Boiling-water canner
- Canning jars Use the jar size specified.
Directions
- Simmer prepared cherries with water 8 to 10 minutes until soft enough to mash.
- Mash, stir in sugar, bring to a full boil that cannot be stirred down, and boil 1 minute.
- Remove from heat, stir in the full pouch of liquid pectin, skim foam, and fill hot jars with 1/2-inch headspace.
- Process half-pints or pints for 15 minutes at 0–1,000 ft, 20 minutes at 1,001–6,000 ft, or 25 minutes above 6,000 ft.
Recipe Notes
Private Notes
Questions or results?
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Tried this recipe?
Share your results how it turned out.Serving suggestions
Serve after opening or preparation and refrigerate leftovers promptly.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change the process?
Use the full pouch of liquid pectin after the 1-minute full boil and retain the tested cherry, sugar, and acid proportions.
What if spoilage is suspected?
Discard without tasting.
How this recipe compares
This is a pectin-set topping, not the plain whole-cherry
Troubleshooting
Time the full rolling boil precisely and add the complete pectin pouch at the specified stage.
Never taste food to determine safety.
Source & provenance
Sweet Cherry Topping original source. Follow the complete source exactly.
Garden planning for this recipe
Plant, space, variety, zone, and timing estimates live on dedicated ingredient pages:
Typical canning season
Season: Summer
Months: June, July
How much of the main ingredient should I grow?
25–50 lb of Tree fruit per person per year
This is an annual planning range that includes preserving and typical fresh use. Plant, row-foot, and square-foot estimates are shown only when compatible cited yield or spacing data is available.
Garden yields vary by cultivar, climate, soil, pests, and care. Always measure the exact prepared ingredient amount required by the tested canning recipe.