Red Huckleberry Jam
Published at 08:07 on 12 July 2016
I had planned on picking dewberries and blackcaps on the Toandos Peninsula last weekend. I know of a good spot for both there.
But fate intervened and ruled that option out, so I went to a revegetating clear cut where I have noticed a lot of berry plants before in the Green Mountain State Forest instead. That resulted in a different harvest, as most of the berries I found there were red huckleberries instead.
They’re a new one for me. Oh, I’ve snacked on them many times, but never set out to harvest them and bring a quantity home with me. The jam turned out great: I followed the “low sugar” recipe, using a tad more than the recommended amount of sugar because the berries are naturally tart. For the same reason, I opted not to add any lemon juice to the recipe, figuring there was plenty of natural acidity to set the pectin.
The result was tangy and flavorful, just like the berries it was made from.