Sour Cherry Jam

Today was Strawberry Jam Day, something I'd been looking forward to for weeks. I had finally gotten over my disappointment at not finding any rhubarb, but when I got to the farmers' market I found two stalks, the only ones left, and snapped them up instantly before making my usual recon round. If I had waited, I would have seen that strawberries are SO last season, and there wasn't a one to be found in the whole market. Strawberries are out. Pinstripes sour cherries are in.

I don't know what I'm going to do with the rhubarb.

I bought three pints of sour cherries and spent a good part of the morning pitting them with a paper clip, a trick from the Joy of Cooking. My mum told me that if I follow the directions on the pectin box EXACTLY I will get a proper set, so I used the Sure-Jell recipe, which I think is too sweet, based on the drops that spilled on the counter as I was filling the jars.

The second worst moment came after I'd filled the jars and they were cooling on the counter. I heard one little POP, then another - I was sure the lids were popping because I didn't seal them properly, but then later when I pressed them, they actually had sealed.

The worst moment, however, was just a few minutes ago when I realized I hadn't wiped the jars before putting the lids on. This means they're going to be full of poison bacteria. This is, needless to say, deeply irritating. I guess I'll just keep my beautiful ruby-red jars in a dry place and hope for the best? My mum said they might get moldy, but if so I'll be able to see it, so it should be all right.

Right?