1/2 pound sugar to every pound of fruit

Remove foliage and stem from the sour cherries.

Place in a colander and wash with water.

De-pit cherries.

Measure cherries -- for every pound of fruit, add half a pound of sugar.

Mix cherries and sugar.

Place in a pan and bring to boil.

Reduce heat, and cook until mixture has a thick jam-like consistency.

Process the jam as with any other type of jam (Need to have sterilized containers etc.).

When she was growing up in Casacalenda, Molise in the 1920s, Mrs. Rosina Melfi (Mary Melfi's aunt) indicated that a sour black cherry tree grew on her father's property. She was not sure what kind of sour cherry tree it was -- but she noted that the sour cherries were black when they were ripe. She believes they were called "amareno" sour black cherries. Each year her mother made jam with the cherries. Her mother stored the jam in ceramic containers that had been used during the winter to store dried sausages (in olive oil). The ceramic containers were washed very well and then re-used. At that time ceramic containers like all other household items were very expensive, and so most households did not have too many for use. The ceramic containers preserved the jam for a few weeks, but not longer than that; the jam would have kept longer if it been stored in glass containers but those were in short supply as they were incredibly expensive. What glass containers were available for use in an average household were used to store tomato paste. In any case, the sour black cherry jam, while it was still fresh, was much loved. Nowadays, Molise, is renowned for its delicious sour black cherry jam. It is available in Molise, and possibly in the Abruzzo area, but not likely (as of yet) anywhere else. Having myself tasted the jam (My sister brought me a jar direct from Casacalenda this summer) I can say with certainty that it is a marvelous sweet. I would never use it for baking -- I would rather have the pleasure of eating it as is -- right out of the jar. P.S. A relative still living in Casacalenda confirmed that the name of the cherries used to make this jam is called "amarene." Actually most people in the town make their own jam as the cherries grow in abundance in the area. Incidentally while sour black cherry jams are not often found in large supermarkets in the Montreal area, they can be found in Middle Eastern shops. However, the sour cherry jams I tasted from this area are good, but they are much sweeter than those made in Molise. Actually, they're a bit too sweet for my liking, but they can be used in Molisani dessert recipes that call for this style of jam. Comments: Mary Melfi....... The following text comes from Italian Wikipedia (Machine google translation) Prunus cerasus From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (Redirected from Amareno ) The sour cherry ( Prunus cerasus L. , 1753), also called Visciolo or Amarasco , is a tree or shrub from 2 to 8 meters high with a pyramidal crown and leaves from the lamina 5-8 cm petiole smaller than the cherry. It is a typical deciduous noble of our forests, having precious wood, edible fruits, even in wild specimens, and made good seed. The trunk is erect and smooth bark characterized by horizontal streaks. It blooms just before the Pesco, usually in hilly or flat that occurs around the month of April, while in mountain areas occurs later, around May-June. The flowers are 2-3 cm in diameter with white petals, in small umbels of 2-4 elements on peduncles 3-4 cm. The fruits are governed by a peduncle short and thin and have spherical shape of 10-15 mm. They are bright red in color which darkens with age. The skin is thin and contains a pulp very juicy, sour-bitter that softens advanced maturity. At the center of the fruit, there is a kernel of spherical shape and color of light that contains a bitter almond flavor. Provenance The origin is uncertain. For some authors, the sour cherry comes from ' Asia Western, from ' Eastern Europe or the Middle East, regions of ' Armenia and the Caucasus , to others it is endemic in Central and Eastern Europe, as many seeds of cherry are been found in prehistoric sites in Central Europe. Legend has it that he brought to Italy a Roman general Lucullus , known for the richness of its banquets. In some ancient writings it says that Lucullus picked up the plant in Cerasonte , the city of 'Asia Minor, and transplanted in the gardens around 65 BC . Today it is found wild in the woods, occasionally up to about 1000 meters. Cultivation It easily adapts to any climate and does not need special care, often growing in the wild form. She loves the sun, but also withstands low temperatures as well as bears even drought. It has no special requirements for the land, growing, adapting to any type. Uses The fruits are widely used in culinary field where they are used for the production of syrups, jams, candied fruits and liqueurs such as sour cherry wine . They are very rich in vitamin C and B . Also the leaves find use in the production of a liquor. Particular is the use of the peduncles of the fruits that are harvested when fully ripe and left to dry in the sun. They have diuretic properties and are considered a sedative urinary tract. They are used, then, as a powerful diuretic , as a medicine for cystitis and kidney failure. The wood, prized as fuel and joinery, he heartwood yellowish sapwood pinkish tinged with red, much like the sweet cherry. Photo: Italian Wikipedia.

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