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.
Jeanne and her husband David launched My Own Labels in January of 2000. It was a spin-off of their successful graphic design firm, plus it allowed Jeanne to incorporate her love of baking, making, sewing and creating. Today David and Jeanne continue to be the heart of the operation both creatively and practically.