Day Forty-Six (05.07.2012)
Processing: Hot Water Bath Canner 15mins
Yield: 6 1/2 x pints (13 cups)
Recipe Source: Myself
This is another of my own versions of lemonade concentrate (cordial) - fruity sugar syrups that you can drink with iced water, ginger ale or tonic water (50 - 75% water, 50-25% concentrate). Fresh sweet cherries partnered with tart fresh lemon juice and an undertone of vanilla. A nice glass of this is perfect in hot weather or all-year-long! Delicious :(^_^):
Choose dark red, good quality cherries. Wash cherries, remove stones and roughly chop. Simmer in a wide heavy-based pot for 10 minutes with the water. While the cherries are simmering, juice the lemons - you'll need about 14 lemons to make the lemon juice. Also prepare vanilla beans by splitting down the middle and scraping the inside out.
Ingredients:
9 cups whole fresh cherries (about 3 pounds), pitted, roughly chopped
2 cups water
4 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 14 lemons)
6 cups white sugar
2 vanilla beans, scraped (or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract)
Concentrates are a fantastic way of using fruit juices with freshly squeezed lemon juice to make delicious drinks to serve during summer or year-round.
Why not try making your own vanilla cherry lemon concentrate like this, it makes a delicious drink and a nice gift, too - how about a box of assorted concentrates for a birthday or Christmas gift! :(^_^):