Cherries Piquant

Ingredients

• 0.5 gallon ripe Morello cherries
• spices
• lemon
• 12 whole pepper corns
• 1 pod Cayenne pepper
• 1 pint sharp vinegar
• 4 pounds sugar

Instructions

1. Wash the cherries well and stem them, but do not pit them. Drain them thoroughly. Strew spices well through the cherries, lay thin sliced lemon on top, and add a dozen whole peppercorns and a tiny pod of Cayenne pepper.
2. Boil the sharp vinegar with the sugar, skim it clean, and pour this hot mixture over the fruit. Let stand all night.
3. In the morning, drain off the syrup, boil it up again, skim it, and pour it back over the fruit.
4. The next day, put all into a kettle and cook for fifteen minutes. Transfer to glass jars, seal, and keep in a dark place. Serve especially with game or any meat that is highly seasoned.