Cantastic! Huckleberry Preserves

Do you have a special wild place you like to pick huckleberries? You can turn your summer haul into a precious treat or gift any time of year with this huckleberry preserves recipe. Adding personalized labels immediately conveys the value of your wild-harvested hand-crafted preserves. What a treat!
We’ve been picking and preserving huckleberries since even before the 80s when this picture was taken.

Cantastic! Huckleberry Preserves
Author:
Serves: 72 oz
Ingredients
- 6 cups huckleberries, mashed as well as you can
- 6 cups sugar
- 1 package of Sure-Jell pectin
- 1 tsp butter (to prevent foaming)
Instructions
- Prepare your canning jars: sterilize the jars – run them through the hot water rinse in the dishwasher, or simmer them, covered with water, in a large pot over the stove for 15 minutes or until needed – and sterilize the lids – bring to a boil in a pot, covered with water, and simmer for 15 minutes or until needed.
- Mash huckleberries, one cup at a time, the best you can – they don’t really like to get mashed so most will stay round. Use liquid measuring cup to measure exact amount of mashed berries into a large pot. Stir in 1 package of pectin. Bring to a boil, while stirring.
- Bring to a full rolling boil – one that you can’t stir down, and pour in all the sugar at once, while stirring.
- Add the teaspoon of butter, and bring back to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly.
- At this time, remove the jars and rings and lids from their simmering water. Drain on a clean cloth.
- Boil and stir the berries for exactly 4 minutes. Remove from heat and quickly ladle into the hot canning jars, filling each jar within ¼ inch from the top. Wipe jar rims and threads with a clean, damp paper towel, and seal with a two-piece lid. Screw the lids down as tight as you can.
- Turn jars upside down for five minutes, then turn back right side up. This helps the seal. The jam will set up in minutes or up to a couple weeks.
