Ingredients:

  • 4 cups (600g) garden huckleberries, stemmed and cleaned
  • 1.5 cups (300g) cane sugar
  • 2 tbsp (30ml) fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp (5g) lemon zest
  • 1/4 tsp (1g) unsalted butter

Instructions:

  1. Place the cleaned garden huckleberries into a heavy bottomed pot. Use a potato masher to lightly crush about half of the berries to release juices and pectins.
  2. Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest.
  3. Turn heat to medium high and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil.
  4. Stir in the cane sugar and unsalted butter. Stir constantly to ensure the sugar dissolves and does not burn.
  5. Continue to boil, stirring frequently, until the mixture reaches 220°F (104°C) on a candy thermometer. Note: This is the precise setting point for most berry jams.
  6. Perform the plate test: drop a spoonful of hot Huckleberry Jam onto a chilled saucer from the freezer; if it wrinkles when pushed, it has set.
  7. Carefully ladle the hot jam into sterilized half pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace.
  8. Seal with lids and rings immediately.