This past weekend was extremely productive! I made three batches of homemade jam, canned my sweet pickles, made two batches of simple syrup, baked up tons of mini pizzas, and made a giant coffee cake to bring in to work. Whew… By Monday evening, I was exhausted! But after cleaning up my work room and the kitchen, I was finally able to sit down, relax, and catch up on a few episodes of Once Upon A Time, the newest show that the boyfriend and I are binge-watching!
If you follow me on Twitter, I posted a picture of all the jams and pickles and syrups from this weekend’s cooking and baking and canning extravaganza! I bought a boiling-water canner a few weeks ago, and this was my first opportunity to use it. So I picked up some beautiful cherries from the Farmer’s Market (along with rhubarb, beets, bread, and the cutest baby zucchini!) and decided to make jam.
The boyfriend and I tend to keep no less than 7 different types of jam and jelly in fridge at any given time. We put it on toast, in PBJs, and pair it with cheese. But buying the organic jams or the mostly-fruit (no corn syrup please!) spreads at $5 each adds up quickly. So, in my effort to make everything homemade and eat fresh and/or locally produced food, I decided to add jam to my repertoire!
And this Cherry-Bourbon jam is phenomenal! The cherries and the bourbon (I used Maker’s Mark) pair beautifully together, and it’s not cloying sweet like store-bought jam tends to be. The recipe makes about 3 8-ounce jars, which can be kept refrigerated for about 3 weeks or canned to be kept for up to a year in the pantry. Not that it will last that long anyways…
And check back tomorrow to find out what I’m baking with the Cherry-Bourbon jam!
Click below for the recipe! Have a question? Feel free to ask in the comments. And thanks for reading!













