Homemade Wild Huckleberry Jam

It’s Huckleberry season, and you know what that means! Homemade jam! There is no greater berry in the world than wild huckleberries freshly picked off of branches found in the mountains. I went huckleberry picking today and enjoyed the fresh mountain air, tart berries, and the quiet time picking them.

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I live in Idaho. A native state to Huckleberries in late summer. My family and I recently went to the town of McCall, ID for a weekend getaway, and huckleberry picking was high on the list. We were given a “secret spot” to pick fresh huckleberries by the handfuls. We picked for hours and still left thousands of berries on the branches.

It was painful to walk away from those branches filled with berries when we decided to stop. Huckleberry picking is hard work and after hours of picking, we had to evaluate our treasure and call it good.

We had so much fun. Picking and eating as many berries as we could before the kids got too antsy. My dad and I ended up staying a little longer and capitalized on having some free time without the littles around. It was truly a unique experience we will try and do every year from now on.

As we were picking the berries I was asked what I wanted to do with these incredible berries. My first thought was to make some sweet jam and enjoy it on bread, biscuits, and toast. Yum!

WHAT IS A HUCKLEBERRY?

If you have never had huckleberry, they are a cross between a blueberry and a blackberry. They are similar to an açaí berry and a lingonberry regarding pie and tart flavor. They have a unique flavor profile and are packed full of antioxidants. They are also high in Vitamin C, A, B, iron, and potassium. They are native to Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Living here in Idaho we are blessed to be able to pick the northwest Huckleberries which are dark purple and sometimes a maroon color.

TOOLS YOU MAY NEED TO MAKE HUCKLEBERRY JAM

• Potato masher
• Tongs
• 8 oz. mason jars
• Funnel
• Canner
• Large stockpot
• Tea towel if you do not have a boiling-water canner

HUCKLEBERRY JAM INGREDIENTS

• 3 Cups of Wild Fresh Huckleberries (Frozen works too)
• 1/2 cup Honey
• 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice
• Pectin if using

HOW TO MAKE FRESH HUCKLEBERRY JAM

It is important to wash jars and canning lids with hot soapy water to ensure no bacteria get into your jam. I ran out of my glass canning jars the other week and had to buy more in a pinch. I will say these are not easy to find these days! I like the 4 oz. size and the 8 oz. size are the best to ensure no jam goes bad if we cannot use it up within the month.

Once the jars are washed and sterilized, it is time to rinse the berries and place them in a medium sauce pan for simmering. Combine berries and honey in the medium saucepan and gently crush berries in the pan to produce and extract juice. There should be a good amount of liquid in the saucepan at this point. That is a good thing!

Let it simmer for about 10 minutes until the wild berries are bubbling. Then add in your lemon juice. I like to use the lemon juice in the bottle because it has the highest acidity and it is easy to measure!

Let it simmer as the flavors meld together until the berry mixture is thickening and slowing its bubbling. If you are adding in premium fruit pectin go ahead and do that now. It needs to be added at the last minute of the simmer. Stir pectin in well with the fruit mixture. Do not cook the jam with pectin for any more than one minute.

Place jars near the saucepan along with the funnel in preparation to add the jam inside. As the berry mixture is finishing up in the saucepan I like to start prepping the water bath. The best part of this recipe is preserving the jam for long-term storage and enjoyment!

Get out a large stockpot and fill it up with water. Let the water come to a full rolling boil before adding the cans in. While the water is boiling transfer the jam into the jars and clean the rims of the jars. It is important to leave at least 1/4 inch space from the top of the jar and the rim to make sure nothing boils over.

Add them into the boiling water by either placing your canner in the bottom of the pot or a tea towel. Just make sure your glass jars are not touching the bottom of the pot or they could shatter.

Let the jars sit in a full boil for at least 5 minutes. Once the five minutes is up, get the jars out and let them rest on the counter for at least 12 hours to ensure the jam sets.

HOW LONG DOES HUCKLEBERRY JAM LAST?

If you give the jam a water bath and can it for long-term storage it will last about 1 year in a pantry that is at room temperature. If you open the jam jar store it in the fridge for at least 1 month.

HOW TO ENJOY HUCKLEBERRY JAM

There are so many delicious ways to enjoy delightful jams that are made with fresh berries like this recipe! I love slathering the jam on my favorite go-to sourdough recipes:

English Muffins

Sourdough Biscuits

Artisan Bread

It would also be so delicious on homemade crepes, vanilla ice cream, over yogurt and granola, or even in a PB &J sandwich! The possibilities are endless.

HUCKLEBERRY JAM SUGAR SUBSTITUTES

If you are seeking out sugar substitutes and want to use the exact amount of sugar called you can easily swap granulated sugar with honey or even cane sugar. Which is what I did in this recipe. There are so many recipes that call for granulated sugar or even brown sugar and I couldn’t stomach adding white sugar to these incredible berries. You could also cut the amount of sugar the recipe calls for in half if you want to use granulated. Low sugar jams still taste just as good!