Cherry syrup for winter

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Get the ingredients ready. The water is just plain tap water. The cherries can be either fresh or frozen — frozen ones don't need to be thawed.

2. Step 2:

   

   Rinse the cherries under cool water and let them drain. If you like, pit them with a handy pitter.

3. Step 3:

   

   Put the cherries in a wide enough pot, cover them with the sugar, and pour in all the water.

4. Step 4:

   

   Set it over medium heat and, stirring, let the sugar dissolve completely. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to the minimum, and cook the cherries for 3–4 minutes, then take the pot off the stove.

5. Step 5:

   

   Gather the foam toward the center and skim it off carefully. Let it cool completely. Then repeat the boiling. Don't boil longer than 4 minutes, and don't let it boil hard.

6. Step 6:

   

   Each time, the syrup gets thicker while the berries stay whole — you can use them later for fillings or desserts.

7. Step 7:

   

   Once the syrup and berries have cooled completely after the second boiling, take out the cherries and put them in a sterile jar. You can strain the syrup through a sieve if you like, but you don't have to if, like mine, all the cherries stayed whole.

8. Step 8:

   

   Bring the strained syrup (without berries) to a firm boil and take it off the stove, skimming the foam.

9. Step 9:

   

   Pour it hot into prepared sterile jars or bottles. Fill the jar of cherries to the top with hot syrup too. Seal all the containers with sterile lids, turn them upside down, and leave them under a blanket until fully cooled. Then move them right away to a dark, cool place for storage. If you made only a small amount, keep it in the refrigerator.

10. Step 10:

    

    From this amount of ingredients I got about 600 ml of clear syrup and a small 350 ml jar of cherries in syrup. The syrup is quite concentrated and sweet, with a rich cherry flavor and aroma.