Classic Chokecherry Jelly

foragerchef.com/chokecherry-j...
Besides chokecherry syrup, a simple jelly made from chokecherries is probably the most common traditional recipe there is (chokecherry wine, too).
This is just a simple jelly, but it was also a great excuse for me to share an old-timey way to process chokecherries I really like: a meat grinder. Crushing the cherries in a meat grinder makes it so you can skip mashing them, and you get a really rich juice in the process.
Other than that it's just jelly per usual. I do use a commercial starch called Cuisine Tech pectin. It's a little spendy for a jar, but I've been using the same jar for about 5 years. Super dependable and there's no monkey business like Surejell and other brands. You can also just use regular apple pectin, but I make sure to check out the ingredient list to make sure it doesn't include artificial sweeteners, which I can usually taste in the finished product.
You can get cherries to gel naturally, but chokecherries and black cherries aren't the best for that. Pin cherries have the highest proportion of pit to flesh of any cherry I know of, and they absolutely jel with no added pectin. Full recipe at the link in the top of the video description.

[@richardstevens3461]

Love the equipment hacks.... I've collected quite a few on my own!

[@laurae.9568]

The powdered pits and bits you dehydrated -COOL IDEA!!! For the infusion, Everclear or something more mild?

[@foragerchef4141]

Vodka’s fine