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Ingredients
- I can hear you laughing now: only for the Ninj would wine constitute "light syrup."
- 2 quarts red wine
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups orange juice
- 24 whole cloves
- 16 long strips of orange zest (one large orange will get the job done)
- 4 pounds Bing cherries, pitted
View Full Recipe at Adventures of the Kitchen…
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,%20you%20know%20that%20I'm%20referring%20to%20Grow%20It%20Cook%20It%20Can%20It's%20Cook%20It!%202012%20challenge.%20We've%20made%20and%20shared%20so%20many%20awesome%20staples%20and%20recipes%20so%20far:%20pasta,%20bread,%20butter,%20cheese,%20lactofermented%20veg%20(pickles),%20jam%20and%20now%20fruit%20canned%20in%20light%20syrup.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EI%20can%20hear%20you%20laughing%20now:%20only%20for%20the%20Ninj%20would%20wine%20constitute%20%22light%20syrup.%22%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EBut%20I%20swear,%20Caroline%20gave%20us%20permission%20to%20booze%20up%20our%20fruit,%20so%20it%20counts!%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThis%20has%20been%20a%20crazy%20busy%20month%20for%20me%20so,%20although%20I%20had%20visions%20of%20jar%20after%20jar%20of%20peaches%20and%20apricots%20lining%20my%20basement%20shelves,%20I%20wound%20up%20only%20having%20time%20to%20do%20a%20small%20batch%20of%20cherries%20before%20I%20missed%20not%20only%20the%20posting%20deadline%20but%20also%20all%20the%20good%20summer%20fruit%20entirely.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EBut%20this%20recipe,%20from%20Eugenia%20Bone's%20Well-Preserved,%20looked%20very%20versatile%20--%20how%20many%20other%20preserved%20foods%20can%20you%20use%20on%20both%20beef%20tenderloin%20and%20ice%20cream%20in%20the%20same%20meal?%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EYah,%20that's%20what%20I'm%20talking%20about.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E(Eugenia's%20book,%20by%20the%20way,%20is%20a%20lot%20like%20the%20Challenge%20itself:%20she%20gives%20you%20instructions%20for%20making%20a%20preserved%20food%20and%20then%20supplies%20several%20recipes%20that%20incorporate%20it.%20And%20it's%20full%20of%20really%20lovely%20photographs.)%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThere%20was%20quite%20a%20bit%20of%20pre-canning%20prep%20involved%20in%20these%20cherries%20--%20more%20so%20than%20I'm%20used%20to%20with%20simple%20jams%20or%20with%20pickling.%20But,%20on%20the%20plus%20side,%20given%20that%20the%20cherries%20processed%20in%20the%20water%20bath%20for%20longer%20than%2010%20minutes,%20the%20jar%20prep%20took%20less%20time.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EHere%20are%20my%20lessons%20learned%20and/or%20advice%20if%20you%20try%20these%20cherries%20yourself:%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EWear%20an%20apron.%20And%20gloves%20(not%20kidding).%20And%20work%20over%20the%20sink%20or%20a%20surface%20that%20can't%20be%20stained.%20Seriously,%20unless%20you%20want%20a%20cherry-stained%20house%20and%20hands%20that%20make%20you%20look%20like%20you%20just%20murdered%20a%20small%20family,%20heed%20my%20advice.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EBuy%20a%20cherry%20pitter.%20Pitting%20cherries%20is%20tedious%20work%20but%20the%20pitter%20makes%20it%20tolerable.%20Given%20how%20often%20you%20will%20use%20it%20(read:%20next%20to%20never),%20even%20a%20cheap%20one%20is%20fine.%20See%20mine%20up%20there?%20I%20bought%20it%20at%20the%20dollar%20store%20and%20it%20worked%20like%20a%20charm.%20(Good%20thing%20they%20put%20the%20little%20cherry%20on%20it%20or%20else%20we%20would%20be%20confused%20about%20what%20it's%20for%20...%20snort.)%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EZesters%20rock!%20(I%20just%20got%20the%20one%20shown%20below%20and%20had%20a%20fun%20time%20carving%20stripes%20in%20the%20orange.%20Mr.%20Ninj%20called%20it%20%22tigery.%22%20Just%20wanted%20to%20share.)%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EUse%20pint%20jars%20or%20larger.%20I%20decided%20to%20use%20half-pints%20so%20that%20I%20could%20spread%20the%20love%20of%20the%20cherries%20amongst%20friends%20and%20family%20but%20forgot%20to%20take%20into%20account%20that%20whole%20cherries%20are%20big%20(this%20is%20not%20jam)%20so%20there's%20not%20much%20of%20the%20good%20stuff%20in%20my%20jars.%20So%20bigger%20is%20better.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EChoose%20whatever%20red%20wine%20you%20like%20--%20but%20make%20it%20cheap.%20This%20is%20not%20the%20time%20to%20be%20a%20wine%20snob%20because%20you'll%20be%20cooking%20the%20bejesus%20out%20of%20it.%20I%20went%20with%20a%20lovely%20pinot%20noir%20that%20came%20in%20the%20jug%20size%20with%20a%20screw%20cap:%20tres%20classy.%20I'm%20sure%20zinfandel%20or%20merlot%20would%20also%20be%20great%20choices.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EI%20hope%20you'll%20consider%20giving%20these%20cherries%20a%20try.%20The%20flavor%20is%20reminiscent%20of%20a%20spicy%20mulled%20wine,%20so%20I%20can%20envision%20cracking%20open%20jars%20of%20these%20babies%20quite%20often%20when%20the%20crisp%20fall%20weather%20arrives%20(which,%20scarily,%20is%20not%20that%20far%20away%20now).%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EAs%20is%20my%20way%20with%20Challenge%20posts,%20I'll%20give%20you%20the%20instructions%20with%20photo%20steps.%20And,%20as%20with%20the%20marmalade,%20I'm%20not%20including%20complete%20canning%20instructions%20--%20I%20have%20to%20assume%20you%20already%20know%20or%20can%20google%20the%20basics.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EBy%20the%20way,%20I%20haven't%20adapted%20this%20recipe%20at%20all%20from%20Eugenia's%20book,%20so%20thanks%20to%20her.%20Go%20buy%20her%20book.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EEugenia%20Bone's%20Cherries%20in%20Wine%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EFirst,%20assemble%20your%20ingredients:%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EMake%20sure%20you've%20prepped%20about%204-6%20pint%20jars%20and%20their%20bands%20b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