Homemade Cornelian Cherry Preserve
Cornelian cherries, a popular fruit in Eastern Europe, Greece, and the Middle East, make a delightful addition to homemade jellies and jams. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to efficiently extract pulp from cornelian cherry seeds for a more enjoyable jam-making experience.
### Steps for Efficient Extraction
1. **Harvest and Clean** - Harvest ripe cornelian cherries for the best flavour and texture. Rinse them under water to remove dirt and debris.
2. **Crush and Soak** - Use a fruit crusher or blender to crush the cherries, releasing their juices. Soak the crushed cherries in water for about an hour to soften them further.
3. **Cook the Cherries** - Boil the soaked cherries in water until they are soft. Strain the mixture using cheesecloth or a fine-mesh strainer, pressing on the solids to extract as much juice as possible.
4. **Extract Pulp** - Puree the remaining solids in a blender or food processor and strain them again using cheesecloth or a fine-mesh strainer.
5. **Filter and Use** - Use the extracted juice and pulp mixture to make your jelly or jam. You might need to add sugar and pectin to achieve the desired consistency and flavor.
### Tips for Efficiency - Optimizing the extraction process can help obtain high content of bioactive compounds. Experiment with different temperatures or times during the boiling step. - Ensure that the mixture is not too thick before adding it to the jam-making process. For jelly, you might need to strain the mixture further to remove any remaining pulp.
By following these steps and tips, you can efficiently extract pulp from cornelian cherry seeds and create delicious homemade jelly or jam. The flesh of cornelian cherries is quite soft, and the pulp contains astringency, while the delicate floral flavor is held in the juice.
Cornelian cherry jam or jelly can be made using a fine mesh strainer and a water bath canner. After 40 minutes of simmering, cornelian cherries were still mostly whole. If making jam, the pulp is mashed in the strainer to pass through, while seeds are left behind. The juice and pulp (for jam) or just the juice (for jelly) are then combined with sugar, lemon juice, and spices (if using) and simmered until it begins to gel.
Cornelian cherries contain plenty of pectins, making them an ideal choice for homemade jams. They can be used to make various canning recipes, including elderberry jelly and Rainier cherry jam. There are numerous canning recipe lists available, including a list of 50+ fruit canning recipes and a list of 100+ canning recipes.
In the Middle East, cornelian cherries are eaten fresh with a bit of salt. If you're new to canning, consider starting with simpler recipes like cornelian cherry jam before moving on to more complex ones. Happy jamming!
- For a more delightful jam-making experience, try water bath canning with the extracted pulp from cornelian cherry seeds to create your homemade cornelian cherry jam.
- If you're interested in expanding your food-and-drink lifestyle, explore various canning recipes that include cornelian cherries, such as elderberry jelly and Rainier cherry jam.
- As you experiment with canning recipes, optimize your efficiency in extracting pulp from cornelian cherry seeds by following tips like adjusting temperatures or times during the boiling step, as well as ensuring the mixture is not too thick.
