Cherry Preserves

By Tessie2


2 pounds pitted red cherries
4 cups sugar
Drain juice from cherries; reserve juice. Add sugar to juice, (if there isn't enough juice to dissolve sugar add a little water); cook until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. Cool. Add cherries; cook rapidly until cherries become glossy, about 15 minutes. Cover and let stand 12 to 18 hours in a cool place. Bring to a boil; boil hard for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary. Ladle hot preserves into hot jars, leaving 1/4th inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 15 minutes in a boiling water canner.
Yield: about 4 half-pints.