Backwoods Chokecherry Jelly

If you have access to wild chokecherries, this easy chokecherry jelly recipe is a delicious way to turn that tart little fruit into something worth preserving. The finished jelly has a beautiful ruby-red color and a sweet-tart flavor that's perfect on toast, biscuits, or fresh homemade bread. If you have more chokecherries, try my chokecherry syrup & chokecherry fruit roll-ups!

Chokecherries are currently in season. However, chokecherries are not the same thing as cherries. You won't find chokecherries at your local grocery store, so don't go looking for them there!

I've been known to pick them along winding backroads in Montana, with friends honking as they drive by and curious strangers stopping to ask what I'm picking. Yep, no shame here; when you find a good patch of chokecherries, you pick them!

If picked too early, the fruit has a very astringent taste that will make you "choke" or at least pucker. The berries go from green to red, to black, which is when you know that they're fair game. I use them in all kinds of recipes; I even make chokecherry wine!

I have heard it said that you should not pick chokecherries until after the first frost. However, when you're competing with other people, birds, goats, and BEARS 🐻, sometimes you gotta get'em while you can!

Jump to:

• 🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
• 🫙 Helpful Tools
• 🍒 How to Make Chokecherry Jelly
• 🫙 Water Bath Canning Instructions
• 🤷🏻‍♀️ Recipe FAQs
• 👩🏼‍🍳 Pro Tips
• 🍇 More Jam and Jelly Recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions

• Chokecherries: As mentioned earlier, this wild fruit needs to be foraged and is usually ripe in August (at least in Montana). Choose the berries that are dark in color or almost black.
• Pectin: I've tried a few different types of pectin for this recipe, including liquid pectin. The one that gave me the best results was RealFruit Classic Pectin.
• Lemon Juice: I like to add a little lemon juice for the acidity. I recommend using fresh lemon juice when possible, but you can substitute bottled if you need to.
• Butter: A teaspoon of butter can reduce the amount of foam that is produced as the chokecherry jelly boils. If you don't add the butter, you may need to skim the foam off the jelly before you can it.
• Vanilla Extract: In the past, I have used vanilla extract in my chokecherry recipes. This is mainly because I'm not a big fan of almond extract, which is recommended in many recipes. Feel free to add vanilla extract, almond extract, or leave them out, like I did.

🫙 Helpful Tools

• 6 half-pint canning jars
• 8-quart pot
• Strainer
• Canner & canning tools

🍒 How to Make Chokecherry Jelly

Step 1: Wash jars, then place jars in a water bath canner. Boil for 10 minutes. Keep the jars in the hot water until needed. The lids and bands can be added a few minutes before you need them.

Step 2: Add cleaned chokecherries to a large saucepan. Cover with six cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then simmer, uncovered, over low heat, for 30 minutes.

Step 3: Smash the fruit to release the juice and strain the liquid through a fine strainer, jelly bag, or double layers of cheesecloth. You should have approximately 3½ cups of chokecherry juice. If not, add enough water to equal 3½ cups.

Pro Tip: To make chokecherry jam, add some of the pulp to the juice so that you end up with a more jam-like texture.

Step 4: Clean the saucepan and return it to the stove. Pour strained juice back into the pot. Turn the heat to medium. Whisk in RealFruit Classic Pectin until dissolved. Add lemon juice and butter (if using). Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil, over high heat, whisking constantly for 2 minutes.

Step 5: Next, add 4 cups of sugar, whisking to dissolve it. Return the mixture to a full rolling boil and boil hard for one additional minute. Skim off the foam, if necessary.

Step 6: Ladle jelly into sterilized jars, leaving ½ inch headspace. Wipe the glass jar rims with a damp kitchen towel, secure lids, and screw bands hand-tight.

🫙 Water Bath Canning Instructions

Add jars to the canner filled with water and make sure the water level is at least a few inches over the jars. Process the filled jars in boiling water based on the times in the chart below:

Altitude	Gel Point
1000'-3000'	5 minutes
3001'-6000'	10 minutes
6001'-8000'	15 minutes

Pro Tip: Remove jars from the canner and place on the counter to seal. Make sure that the jars have sealed properly, then store in the pantry for up to a year. If a jar has not been sealed, you can either process it again or store it in the refrigerator to be consumed first.

🤷🏻‍♀️ Recipe FAQs

When should you pick chokecherries?

Chokecherries should be picked in late summer. According to nrcs.usda.gov, they are found in all but eight states here in the U.S.

In Montana, chokecherries begin ripening in August. It is generally recommended to wait until after the first frost, which is said to make the fruit sweeter and less astringent.

What can chokecherries be used for?

Chokecherries might not be the best-tasting fruit when picked off the plant, but there are many ways that the fruit can be enjoyed. Here are a few examples.
• Chokecherry jam, syrup, or sauce
• Chokecherry liqueur, mead, or chokecherry wine
• Chokecherry pie

What is the best way to juice chokecherries?

After washing the chokecherries, add them to a large pot and cover them with an equal amount of water. Simmer the chokecherries for 30 minutes or longer. Once the fruit begins to burst, smash the berries using a potato masher. Keep in mind that if you simmer the fruit longer, more of the juice will evaporate, yielding less juice.

Strain the liquid through a sieve or jelly strainer. If you prefer a clearer liquid, don't press down on the chokecherries in an attempt to get more juice out of the berries. This can cause your juice to be cloudy.

Another great way to juice chokecherries is with a steam juicer.

What part of the chokecherry is edible?

The fleshy part of the choke cherry fruit is edible, while the seeds, twigs, and leaves of the plant are considered poisonous. But then again, why would you want to eat the twigs, leaves, and seeds?

🍇 More Jam and Jelly Recipes

If you love this chokecherry jelly recipe, try these other related recipes!

📖 Recipe