Home Made Maraschino Cherries by Jen Smallwood

Maraschino Cherries that taste like cherries with out food coloring and all of the other nasty things that are in those store bought jars!
Plus they are so much more affordable.
Servings: 1 quart

1 Sweet Cherries, washed & pitted (reserve the pits)
1¼ cup Sugar
2¼ cups Water
1 tsp Ascorbic Acid or Fruit Fresh
¼ tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Almond Extract
½ Vanilla Bean, split & seeds scraped
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice, fresh works best
¼ cup Maraschino Liqueur, preferably luxardo**
Directions:
1) Sprinkle the ascorbic acid over the cherries and place them in a 1 quart container with a tight fitting lid.
2) Place pits in a plastic ziploc type bag, cover the bag with a kitchen towel, and smash the pits with a hammer.
3) In a small saucepan place the smashed pits, vanilla bean pod & seeds, sugar, salt, water & lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat.. boil until the sugar & salt have melted. Remove from heat and let steep for 40 minutes, until it cools to room temperature.
3) Use a fine mesh strainer over a medium container with a spout to strain the syrup. Reserve the vanilla pod. Be careful to strain out all of the cherry pits, discard the remaining solids. Stir the almond extract & and maraschino liqueur into syrup. Syrup should be fairly thick & sticky.
4) Tuck the vanilla pod into the center of the container and pour the syrup over the cherries. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 5 days before using.
5) Cherries can be stored in the fridge, tightly covered, for up to 3 weeks.
** If you prefer non-alcoholic cherries use 1/4 cup water in place of the cherry liqueur.
Plus, Leave The Stems On If You Want To Use Them In Drinks &, for garnishing.