I've never made cherry jam before, but others I've made have taken as long as 3 weeks to set up. If it doesn't you'll have lovely cherry ice cream topping or yogurt stir in.

I had the same experience when I tried cherry jam many years ago. It never did set up, so I did as booberry suggests and rechristened it Cherry Dessert Topping. Good over ice cream, pound cake, cheesecake.

I made sour cherry jam with the ones in my backyard, and it didn't set well. I wonder if the excess water in the fruit dilutes the gelling properties of the pectin? I never made it again because the family didn't really like it anyway.

I DO make a sweet cherry and blueberry (50-50 combo), and this sets fine.

Oh dear, forget the jam but why add an unncessary word all the time..

It's SET, not SET UP, so US Americun, always adding something extra unnecessarily to a simple language.., Jam sets or it doesn't, it doesn't set UP @@ Duh!

Oh yes, duck...

Harry, Hun....do you feel that you have just been set up for a take down? or perhaps a fall?
I have a jelly set up....consists of a broom stick and a piece of flour sacking hung across 2 open drawers over a large bowl.
I hope you realize how important it is to really know where it's at and how to clean things up.

Sorry....as you were.....

Since this is a cooking forum and not a grammar forum, I don't care whether jelly sets or sets up as long as it DOES.

Bulldinkie, I'd leave it and see if it does get any thicker. If not you can remake it, but I find that remaking jelly gives me a rubbery consistency that I don't care for. I do tend to make jams without commercial pectin because it is so inconsistent for me, so I'd wait to see if it jells. If not I'd either use it for syrup or topping or cook it a while longer until it reaches jell point (about 220F) and see if that helps.

There are instructions for remaking jam on the instruction sheet contained in the SureJel package, or on line at the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

Good luck!

Annie

let him rattle on I dont care, Im 58 I talk the way I was taught dont like it dont look on my threads!!!!!!!Thanks ever1 else

still didnt SET UP.....lol its called pennsylvania dutch county....

Oh dear. You can wait longer, I've had marmalade that took 2 weeks to set or set up, whichever you like, LOL.

You can remake it with some more pectin. These directions are from the SureJell people.

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/remake-directions-for-surejell-108046.aspx

Here is a link that might be useful: Remake runny jam

Did you chop the cherries? Are you talking about the red sour cherries?

I have made sour cherry jam with no problems...but I do remember wanting to make some with whole cherries and that was a whole other process. You had to do a longer cook method after letting the cherries maceate over night. The quick cook method with pectin called for chopping the cherries. I just chopped them in the FP.

Nancy

bulldinkie, I grew up in PA Dutch country with plenty of "dutchies" in my family so your "set up" didn't seem odd at all to me, probably because I say the same thing. :)
I can't help you with your cherry jam issue, though. I've only made Certo strawberry freezer jelly.

thanks ever1,yes I did chop cherries.