Hi Micah, and welcome,
Thanks so much for writing. No worries about the cherries. Everything you did makes good sense and you are not the only one whose cherries refused to bubble. I’ve added a note to step 7 so others will know this happens from time to time.Short version is they’re fine; please see revised step 7 for details and enjoy!

Welcome Magnus,
You’re right – the jars must be processed in boiling water if you want them to seal. But sealed jars might explode from the pressure built up during fermentation, so for this recipe you leave the lids loose enough to release pressure (if necessary). After fermentation is complete there’s enough alcohol to prevent spoilage, so all you have to do is close the jars tightly and keep them in a cool place.

Welcome, Leather
and thanks for letting us know about the Japanese connection. Not a surprise; the Japanese are well known for paying fabulous sums for ultimate foods: perfect melons, fish, etc., so why not cherries? And if I were an orchardist, why not sell to them? Sorry – in a way – to hear the farmers mkt. guy is also a participant in this global commerce, but knowing how much people complain about paying appropriate prices for locally-grown produce, no blame there either. Have you tried Criagslist? There might be someone who has a tree and would be willing to sell or share. Good luck!
Leslie

Thanks for the recipe, I have one question. I would prefer to pit the cherries before packing them in jars, do you think this would be an issue?

Thanks!

Michele

Welcome, Michelle

good luck and please let us know how they come out!
Leslie

Thanks so much for this recipe. I’ve tried the usual brandied cherry recipes and they do taste like cough syrup. I just have a question about step 5: when you undo the rings, are we supposed to just loosen them or take them completely off and just leave the tops of the canning lids on while they go through the bubbling phase?

Thanks!

Welcome, Grace
As you guessed, you just loosen the rings so the lids have enough play to move if the bubbling syrup puts pressure on the underside. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t, but it pays to be on the safe side. You don’t want the jars to explode but you do want the lids to stay in place. Leaving the rings on without tightening them accomplishes both.
Leslie

Anne:
I’ve never brandied peaches this way. Their flesh is so much juicier than cherry flesh, and the ratio of skin to flesh to pit is so different I don’t know what would happen if you tried it. All the brandied peaches recipes I’ve ever made were basically peeled peaches cooked in syrup and canned in a combo of the syrup and brandy. Works great and doesn’t turn into cough syrup. Afraid I don’t have a recipe on hand to offer but that’s because I don’t use one. Just make the syrup more or less sweet depending on the peaches and add brandy to taste but not more than about half of the liquid. The smaller the peach pieces, the less brandy you need; chunks get overwhelmed by amounts that are just right for halves. I’ve never done them whole – takes up too much room in the jars – but if I did I’d do the needle-poke on the cooked fruit before packing it.

Thanks!

I can’t say for sure, but from your description it sounds as though the jar(s) didn’t seal properly and that the small fuzzy things are little islands of mold. There are often a few bits of cherry flesh that get semi-detached during pitting, but they wouldn’t be numerous – and they wouldn’t be especially fuzzy unless they themselves were moldy.

The easiest way to find out what’s going on is to open a jar and check… I wonder – did your daughter in law use standard canning jars with metal tops that have a ring of sealant? With those, you know the seal is good because the button in the center is depressed. Old fashioned bail-top jars with rubber rings (which I used for years without any problems) don’t offer this handy signal and that’s one reason I don’t use them any more.