Sour Cherry Walnut Conserve - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 oranges
3 lemons
5 cups sour cherries, pitted with juice
2 cups granny smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped
3/4 cup water
3 1/2 cups sugar, white
3/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
1/4 cup walnut liqueur

Preparation

Prepare canner, jars and lids.
Wash oranges and lemons well, dry.
Zest all three oranges and 1 lemon.
Cut oranges and lemons in half, remove seeds.
Scoop out pulp and place in a large stainless steel saucepan.
Add zest, cherries with any juice, apples and water.
Bring to a boil over medium high heat stirring constantly.
Reduce heat and boil gently stirring frequently until cherries are soft, around 10 minutes.
Add sugar and stir until dissolved.
Return to a gentle boil, stirring frequently until mixture thickens, around 35 to 40 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Stir in walnuts and liqueur.
Over medium high heat return to a boil.
Boil hard for 4 minutes.
Remove from heat and test gel.
If gel stage has been reached skim off foam.
If gel stage HAS NOT been reached return to heat and boil an additional 4 minutes~re-test.
Ladle hot conserve into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch head space.
Remove bubbles, wipe rims, adjust lids and screw down ring to finger tight.
Place jars in boiling water bath canner.
Process for 10 minutes.
Remove canner lid.
Let jars stand 5 minutes.
Remove jars, cool and store.