Sort, wash, stem, pit, and chop cherries. Measure 4 c chopped cherries into 6-8 qt. Dutch oven. Combine cherries, pectin, lemon peel and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly.
Measure sugar in a separate bowl and add all at once to boiling cherry mixture. Bring to full rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Quickly skim off foam with spoon (note: adding about ¼ Tbsp of butter to cherries prior to boiling will reduce foam). Immediately ladle jam into hot, sterilized half-pint canning jars leaving ¼ in. headspace. Wipe the jar and rims and adjust the lids.
Process jars in boiling water canner for 5 min. Remove, cool on racks. Makes about 6 ½ pints
