Growing up, my brothers and I were warned of the dangers of eating wild berries. Holly bushes, with their bright red berries, not to mention other random plants in the South, were of particular temptation with their bright red fruit. Not that we were ever severely tempted to just eat random things outside… but did you know that huckleberry bushes grow wild in the Pacific Northwest, and you might have some in your own backyard?
Living in the Pacific Northwest though, there are tons of edible berries and fruit just… right outside your door! We are fortunate enough to have a plethora in our backyard or just down the street in a local park. I recently even made blackberry wine from “wild” blackberries we picked.
Imagine my surprise when we discovered that a ton of bright green bushes in our backyard were actually huckleberries, edible, and delicious! We don’t just have one or two… I mean a TON. While picking huckleberries is a pain, as the small fruits are hard to grasp, huckleberry jam is amazingly delicious and rewarding if you don’t mind a few spiders and earwigs.
I picked my berries really early in the season, back in September. Then, the berries were tightly clumped together. Now, even in November, there’s plump, juicy berries still on the bushes, but the bunches have spread apart such that they’re easier to pick.
Picking more than a couple of cups is pretty hard. I was making jam, so I sorted through all the berries to remove stems, any bad fruit, but especially all the bugs. If you just wanted to make jelly, you could just press all the berries in a single mash, then strain them. I made an apple press recently (the gives semi-successful results), which would make juicing the berries much easier.
Putting them in a pot on the stove, you want to add as much sugar as you have berries. Most recipes call for a one to one ratio by volume (measuring in cups), but you could do it by weight, also. As soon as the mixture heats up, the berries will start to release their juice. When the mixture heats to a boil, you’ll want to test periodically for the “gelling” point, which is when the mixture, when cool, will have a jelly-like consistency. I’ve never used pectin in my jams (so far), but as long as I cooked them enough, they’ve set up just nicely. Most recipes also call for a bit of lemon juice, which will add enough acid to help them stay shelf-stable after canning.
If you’ve never had huckleberry jams or jellies, I definitely recommend picking some of these delicious berries. I would describe it as a very generic dark, berry flavor, similar to blackberry or grape (maybe even mixed together?). Try out this recipe here!
