Sorry I didn't respond sooner - I didn't realize that there were additionl replies on the thread! Anyway, the cherries I picked are from a tree (not a bush). It's actually quite a large tree, bigger than the peach tree next to it. I had to use a ladder to reach a lot of the nicer cherries. This is the largest yield of cherries in years. Usually there's just a few and the birds get them all. My FIL severly pruned the tree and I think that helped a lot. I checked the link that Melissa posted on the 'Early Richmond' variety and that looks very similar, so that might be it. The ripest cherries are almost like a marashino (sp?) cherry in size and color, not the dark red I usually think of when someone mentions fresh cherries. They are *definitely* cherries, not something else - they taste great, just a little on the sour side. I don't like them fresh, but my FIL does, so it's just a personal preference to make them all into jam. HTH with regards to the fruit I was writing about - good luck finding PYO farms with cherries. We don't have that where I live - lots of other fruits, just not cherries. Karen

So, I made the above jelly with the following changes to the recipe: Used 1 1/2 cup dried chopped apricots, 1 1/2 cup dried chopped peaches, 1 1/2 cup dried chopped cherries. I also doubled the vinegar and added a little more sugar (mainly cause the fatalli pepper, even though I deseeded half of them, were SOOOOOOO hot). I kept the onion, bell pepper, and hot pepper the same as the original. I also ended up NOT adding pectin since I was going for a glaze consistency, I found the sugar alone was fine. Now, this mix tasted excellent and we used it on chicken thighs as a glaze. It was sweet and fruity and hot all at the same time and the chicken looked beautiful with the chunks of dried fruits and the shiny sugar glaze. However, it was very very chunky since I added all that extra dried fruit. My question this time is can I use commercial fruit juice preps that are not 100% fruit to increase the fruity flavor but not add more chunks of dried fruit to the mix? I think I want to back down the amount of dried fruit (I want more glaze than fruit) but I want to maintain the very fruity flavor I got from the extra fruit. I have black cherry extract (100% cherry) and then I have apricot and peach nectar that are only 45% fruit and have some water and sugar added. I want to mix these, possibly cook down to eliminate volume, add some dried fruit for looks (but not near as much as before), then make the rest of the recipe as written originally? Any problems here? Any suggestions?? thanks Kendra

Agreed with the others, the lemon juice is required. So far, my favorite peach jam that I've done is one that I came up with using some reduced chardonnay, Chambord (French black-raspberry liqueur) and Pomona's pectin so I can do a lower sugar, as our CO peaches are very sweet. The alcohol flavors don't come across in major amounts, but intensify the total flavor of the jam. Chambord is a big investment for occasional use, but I've found it to be worth my while, as it's my favorite for adding to jams/sorbets. I found a half sized bottle at my local Target for $15 that has lasted me for well over a year now. If you like the flavor of Amaretto, I would say that it would go well with either the peach/rasp or your spiced peach. I use liqueur in most of my jams, not necessarily for the alcohol's flavor, but find that it deepens the flavor as a whole. I generally add 1-2 Tbsp for a batch that makes 4-6 half-pints.

Linda forgot to mention, that the Pomona pectin doesn't gel with sugar. Instead, its citrus based and uses calcium to set. When you buy Pomona pectin, it comes packaged with a smaller packet of white powder that you mix with a small amount of water. This is the setting agent and is put in as the last thing. Because strawberries flavor varies grately, you should try to find berries that have a lot of flavor to begin with. Some of the most are alpine (very small), and Driscoll strawberries. I have bought many a basket in stores and have had some with absolutely no taste at all. To help in getting a berry to give off more flavor, which might be diluted with sugar, or Splenda, suggest that you also add a liitle granulated acid blend. These blends are citric, malic, adn tarteric acid in crystalized form, and are used to adjust pH in making wines. I buy this blend from wine making supply stores, and find that it helps to boost flavor of an otherwise drab jam. I have even added a sprinkle to commercially made jams that lack flavor, but have a lot of sweetness. Its very hard to describe the improvment an added acid can do to a fruit flavor, but because I use it in even making fruit juice based drinks, I like them to be a little tangy. And yes, you can gel water with Pomona, I did it last year as a test.. Pomona pectin has no definate shelf life, unlike most sugar based pectins. You have Pomona around for years without any loss of gelling power.