Last summer I received a phone call from Becky’s former partner, Cheryl.  It seems that Cheryl had come into some cherries and she wondered if I would like to have some.  Would I like to have some?  Is the Pope German?  You bet I’d like to have some, but I’m pretty fussy.  I told Cheryl I’d love them but only if they were pitted and put up in two-cup packages.  How’s that for chutzpah?  We both had a good laugh and I didn’t think much more about it.

Sometime after that I was speaking with Beck and she said, “Oh, by the way, I have some cherries for you from Cheryl.” Saints preserve us! Well, next time my beloved daughter and her family came to town, she was bearing a plastic bag which contained about 8 or 10 Baggies with 2 cups of frozen cherries in each!  I was speechless. 

I guarded and protected those cherries through the winter in anticipation of converting them to jam and/or jelly this summer as I prepared for the Great Minnesota Get-Together.  Came the day when it was time for me to make Cherry Jam. 

I used 54 ounces (just shy of 3-1/2 pounds) of cherries, thawed and drained a bit, to make the measure required in the recipe.  I was hopeful of being able to eke out enough juice for at least half a batch of Cherry Jelly from that drained juice.

I was successful in being able to take 1-3/4 cups of juice from the thawed cherries to make half a batch of jelly.  (That jam has lots of fruit bits in it, friends!)

Did I mention it is delicious?  It is, it is.

Oooh, and guess what else!  I just heard from Cheryl and she has more cherries for me!  Ohyeah, Baby!