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Safety classification
Tested
Testing authority: Bernardin
Safety reviewed: 09/21/2026
Processing details
Tested/documented source
Bernardin: Choke Cherry Jelly — Bernardin. The source and WPRM card remain authoritative.
Preparation timeline
- Prepare the canner, jars, lids, and measured ingredients.
- Complete every preparation and cooking stage in the card.
- 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, and headspace tool
Visual method guide
- Prepare and measure ingredients exactly as documented.
- Cook at the stated rolling boil and add pectin or optional alcohol only when directed.
- Hot-fill with 1/4 inch (0.5 cm) headspace.
- Process under at least 1 inch of boiling water.
Safety essentials
Keep the documented chokecherry-to-water extraction, measured juice, sugar, and two-pouch liquid-pectin formulation.
Do not enlarge jar size or shorten processing. Refrigerate any unsealed jar.
About this recipe
Choke Cherry Jelly — Bernardin is a tested Bernardin preserve.
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.
Choke Cherry Jelly — Bernardin
Ingredients
- 12 cups (3000 ml) chokecherries
- 3 cups (750 ml) water
- 6-1/2 cups (1875 ml) granulated sugar
- 2 pouches (170 ml) BERNARDIN® Liquid Pectin
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
- Wash and remove stems from fruit. Combine with water in a stainless steel saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and boil gently 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Pour prepared mixture into dampened jelly bag or cheese cloth-lined sieve suspended over a deep container.
- Let juice drip undisturbed, at least 2 hours or overnight. For quicker results, squeeze bag; juice may be cloudy. Place 6 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. Measure 3 cups (750 ml) prepared juice into a large, deep stainless steel saucepan. Stir in all the sugar. To reduce foaming, add 1/2 tsp (2 ml) butter or margarine.
- Over high heat, bring mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Add liquid pectin, squeezing entire contents from pouch. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and quickly skim off foam, if necessary.
- Quickly pour jelly into a hot jar to within 1/4 inch (0.5 cm) of top of jar (headspace). Using nonmetallic utensil, remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if required, by adding more jelly. Wipe jar rim removing any food residue. 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. Repeat for remaining jelly. 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 lids 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 as a spread or pair with breakfasts, desserts, baked goods, or suitable cheese dishes.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a larger jar?
No. Use only the documented 250 ml jar size.
Can I alter the fruit, sugar, pectin, or alcohol?
No. Preserve the tested formulation and listed optional ingredient limits.
Recipe context
This tested boiling-water-canned preserve is not interchangeable with an unprocessed refrigerator recipe.
Troubleshooting
Seal failure: Refrigerate promptly. Discard spoiled food without tasting.
Source and provenance
Primary source: Bernardin. Editorial organization changes only.