Combine two of the season’s favorite flavors: raspberry and sweet cherry into a jewel-toned jam.
I’m continuing my seasonal cherry experiments with a jam that blends backyard raspberries and sweet cherries. I enjoy crafting jams that feel unique — flavors you won’t typically find on supermarket shelves — and I hate to see fruit go to waste. Combining two or more fruits into one batch often yields lively, complex results.
For this recipe I paired ripe raspberries with flavorful cherries from Northwest Cherry Growers. Over the years I’ve mixed cherries with apricots, raspberries with blueberries, and even raspberries with apricots in other preserves. This is my first time bringing cherries and raspberries together, and the outcome is a deep, bright jam with excellent balance.
What is a Canbassador?
This cherry creativity comes through my role as a Canbassador, a program supported by the Washington State Fruit Commission and Northwest Cherry Growers. As a Canbassador I test recipes and preserve fruit, then share the results and techniques with readers here. Living in the Mid-Columbia gives me access to wonderful stone fruits — sweet cherries, apricots, peaches, and plums — and those local harvests inspire many of my preserves.
Fruit Combinations for Jam
Raspberries can be bold and sometimes overpower milder fruits, but paired with cherries the balance works beautifully. The cherries bring depth and a slightly rounded sweetness that tames the raspberry’s tartness. The resulting flavor is almost reminiscent of blackberry jam, and the vivid color makes it a lovely choice for finishing small tarts, cookies, or tea sandwiches.
Tips for Making Long-Cooking Jam
I prefer long-cooked jams to quick-set pectin-based spreads because of their richer texture and deeper flavor. Cherry jams can be tricky: they may seem to need long cooking but can reach the proper set faster than expected depending on conditions. Here are practical tips to avoid common pitfalls:
- Long-cooking jams don’t always take a long time. Cherries can behave unpredictably, so timing varies.
- Cooking time can range from 10 to 40 minutes depending on burner intensity, pan thickness, humidity, and other factors. Stay with the pot while it cooks; this is not a hands-off process.
- If you’re unsure about the plate or spoon test, use a thermometer. Jam sets at 220°F (about 8°F above the boiling point of water).
- The jam may not look completely set even at 220°F — trust the thermometer. Overcooking beyond the gelling point will make the jam sticky and overly reduced.
- This recipe yields about five half-pint jars or nine to ten 4-ounce jars.
The extra attention is worth it: long-cooked cherry-raspberry jam has a depth of flavor that quick pectin-based jams can’t match.
- 2 cups pitted, halved sweet cherries
- 2 cups raspberries
- 4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Combine all ingredients in a large Dutch oven.
- Slowly bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
- Increase the heat slightly and cook rapidly, stirring frequently to prevent sticking, until the jam reaches the gelling point.
- Check for gelling with a chilled plate, spoon test, or digital thermometer. Jam gels at 220°F, about 8°F above the boiling point of water.
- Ladle the hot jam into prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
- Wipe the jar rims, apply lids and rings, and tighten to fingertip-tight.
- Process jars in a boiling-water canner for 10 minutes. Remove and allow jars to cool completely on a towel or rack.
Full disclosure: this recipe was prepared using cherries provided by the Washington State Fruit Commission.