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Safety classification
Tested
Testing authority: Bernardin
Safety reviewed: 09/21/2026
Processing details
Tested/documented source
Bernardin: Cherry Marmalade — Bernardin. The source and WPRM card remain authoritative.
Preparation timeline
- Prepare canner, jars, lids, cherries, orange, lemon juice, and sugar.
- Cook until the orange peel is tender, then boil to gel stage.
- Hot-fill, process for elevation, wait 5 minutes, and cool upright for 24 hours.
Equipment
- Boiling-water canner with rack
- 250 ml jars with lids and bands
- Large nonreactive preserving pot
- Jar lifter, funnel, headspace tool, and chilled plate or spoon for gel testing
Visual method guide
- Combine the documented orange, cherries, and lemon juice.
- Cook the peel tender and reach gel stage after adding sugar.
- Hot-fill with 1/4 inch (0.5 cm) headspace.
- Process under at least 1 inch of boiling water.
Safety essentials
Keep the documented unpeeled orange, sweet-cherry, lemon-juice, and sugar proportions. Complete the peel-softening and gel-stage steps exactly.
Do not enlarge jar size or shorten processing. Refrigerate any unsealed jar.
About this recipe
Cherry Marmalade — Bernardin is a no-added-pectin cherry and orange preserve cooked to gel stage.
Before you begin
Read the complete recipe card and source, measure every ingredient, and confirm your elevation.
Altitude-adjusted processing
Process for 10 minutes at altitudes up to 1,000 ft (305 m); use Bernardin’s documented adjustment above that elevation.
Cherry Marmalade — Bernardin
Ingredients
- 2/3 (150 ml) cup chopped seeded orange (unpeeled)
- 4 cups (1 L) pitted sweet cherries
- 4 tbsp (60 ml) lemon juice
- 3-1/2 cups (875 ml) granulated sugar
Equipment
- 1 Boiling-water bath canner with rack
- 1 Large stainless or enamel preserving pot
- 1 Canning jars with two-piece lids
- 1 Headspace and bubble tool
- 1 Jelly or candy thermometer
Directions
- Place 4 clean 250 ml mason jars on a rack in a boiling water canner. Cover jars with water and heat to a simmer (180°F/82°C). Set screw bands aside. Keep jars hot until ready to use. Preheating Bernardin® lids is not advised.
- The sealing compound used for our home canning lids performs better at room temperature than it does pre-heated in simmering water (180°F). Simply wash lids in hot, soapy water, dry, and set aside until needed.
- Preheating can lead to less vacuum being achieved during water bath canning, and to buckle failures during pressure canning. In a large, deep stainless steel saucepan, combine orange, cherries and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Reduce heat, cover and boil gently, stirring frequently, until peel is tender, about 20 minutes. Maintaining boil, gradually stir in sugar. If desired, add 1/2 tsp (2 ml) butter or margarine to reduce foaming. Boil hard, stirring frequently, until mixture reaches gel stage, about 30 minutes.
- Remove from heat and test gel. (Gel test: Remove mixture from heat. Place a spoonful of mixture on plate in freezer for a few minutes; mixture is gelled when it does not run together when separated.)If gel stage has been reached, skim off foam.
- Quickly ladle hot marmalade into a hot jar to within 1/4 inch (0.5 cm) of top of jar (headspace). Using nonmetallic utensil, remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rim removing any stickiness. Centre hot sealing disc on clean jar rim. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip tight.
- Return filled jar to rack in canner ensuring jars are covered by water. Repeat for remaining marmalade. When canner is filled, ensure that all jars are covered by at least one inch (2.5 cm) of water. Cover canner and bring water to full rolling boil before starting to count processing time.
- At altitudes up to 1000 ft (305 m), process -boil filled jars - 10 minutes.* When processing time is complete, remove canner lid, wait 5 minutes, then remove jars without tilting and place them upright on a protected work surface. Cool upright, undisturbed 24 hours; DO NOT RETIGHTEN screw bands.
- After cooling check jar seals. Sealed discs curve downward and do not move when pressed. Remove screw bands; wipe and dry bands and jars. Store screw bands separately or replace loosely on jars, as desired. Label and store jars in a cool, dark place.
- For best quality, use home canned foods within one year.
- Processing: At altitudes up to 1000 ft (305 m), process -boil filled jars - 10 minutes - 10 minutes.
- Altitude-adjusted processing table: At altitudes up to 1000 ft (305 m), process -boil filled jars - 10 minutes
Recipe Notes
Private Notes
Questions or results?
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Tried this recipe?
Share your results how it turned out.Serving suggestions
Serve with toast, biscuits, breakfast pastries, yogurt, or suitable cheese pairings.
Frequently asked questions
Can I peel the orange?
No. The tested recipe specifies chopped seeded orange with the peel.
Can I use a larger jar?
No. Use only the documented 250 ml jar size.
Recipe context
This marmalade relies on the documented fruit, acid, sugar, cooking, and processing method.
Troubleshooting
Soft set: Allow the preserve to cool completely before judging the gel. Refrigerate any unsealed jar.
Source and provenance
Primary source: Bernardin. Editorial organization changes only.