Recipe: Candied Cherries

Here's an easy recipe to candy and preserve some of those cherries, whose season is just too darn short.

1 pound fresh cherries, rinsed, stemmed and pitted
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 lemon
1 cup apple juice

In a non-reactive saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil. Add the cherries and the lemon half. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the syrup is red and slightly thick, about 20 minutes. Cover and let stand 2-3 hours, or overnight.

Strain the cherries, reserving the syrup, and set them aside. Discard the lemon half and add the apple juice to the syrup. Bring the syrup to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Return the cherries to the syrup, reduce the heat and cook slowly until the syrup is thick, to about 220 degrees if you are using a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and cool. The cherries can be stored for at least six months in the refrigerator.