Pickled Blackheart Cherries

[Carolina Coon]

Hello folks,

My latest project is too pretty not to share with others.

Dear old dad made cases of pickled peaches for friends and business associates. He hasn't made any in years, but the custom is so prevalent in this neck of the woods, it is still rare for a Christmas to pass without getting at least a jar from a friend.

It is a drink that is more like a cordial than anything I can describe. It is usually passed around for a swallow from the jar to shore up deals and re-aquaint old friends at pig pickings. Smart people know better than to eat the fruit. That is where the hangovers hide.

Over the years I have seen many different fruits stuffed in a jar with moonshine. One old drunk told me he nearly spit himself to death after eating the fruit from a jar of cherries and spitting out the pits. This week I got a couple of pounds of blackhearts and decided to give it a try.

The basis of the recipe is from my dad's pickled peaches. "Fill a quart jar with Indian peaches, toss in a potted meat can full of sugar, and fill the rest of the jar with good mellow drinking sugarhead likker. Turn the cases upside down every day for a couple of weeks and let sit until Christmas."

With those guide lines I filled two quart jars about half full of stemmed blackheart cherries. (Wife stemmed them before I could stop her.) A 1/3 cup measure is about the same size as a potted meat can so I used that. I tossed in 2/3 of a cup of sugar in each and topped off with alcohol that was tempered to 80 proof. All the sugar dissolved but it wasn't a thin syrup like with the peaches. I worried that the alcohol may have more bite than I wanted and I know that sugar will contribute to the thick mouthfeel of the product and reduce the ABV a bit. So the next morning I added another 1/3 of a cup of sugar to each. Now each jar is filled to just below the rim.

They look so pretty after only a few days I couldn't resist sharing a photo. The color is more red than the dark black cherry color I was expecting. Just the same they are pretty. Have a look for yerself'.


Coon