It is cherry season!! My favorite way to buy cherries for canning is prepitted in 5 kg buckets. Its cheaper and saves a lot of time. Sorry the recipe wont fit well in the sidebar. The first amount listed is for 1 quart jar, the second is for the 7 jar batch. I have included the link to the website with the recipe. CHERRY PIE FILLING web1.msue.msu.edu Quantities of Ingredients Needed For 1 Quart 7 Quarts Fresh or thawed sour cherries 3-1/3 cups 6 quarts Granulated sugar 1 cup 7 cups Clear Jel 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp 1-3/4 cups Cold water 1-1/3 cups 9-1/3 cups Bottled lemon juice 1 tbsp + 1tsp 1/2 cup Cinnamon (optional) 1/8 tsp 1 tsp Almond extract (optional) 1/4 tsp 2 tsp Red food coloring (optional) 6 drops 1/4 tsp QUALITY: Select fresh, very ripe, and firm cherries. Unsweetened frozen cherries may be used. If sugar has been added, rinse it off while the fruit is still frozen. YIELD: 1 quart or 7 quarts PROCEDURE: Rinse and pit fresh cherries, and hold in cold water. To prevent stem end browning, use ascorbic acid solution (see ascorbic acid). For fresh fruit, place 6 cups at a time in 1 gallon boiling water. Boil each batch 1 minute after the water returns to a boil. Drain but keep heated fruit in a covered bowl or pot. Combine sugar and Clear Jel in a large saucepan and add water. If desired, add cinnamon, almond extract, and food coloring. Stir mixture and cook over medium high heat until mixture thickens and begins to bubble. Add lemon juice and boil 1 minute, stirring ...