Thimbleberry Jam

Just before the rain and the cool breeze came in from the lake, there was warmth and summertime bliss. In that little window of time, I convinced my husband that picking berries was a fun activity and he would love an afternoon dedicated to this berry toil. Luckily for him, we stumbled across several large patches of thimbleberries. Thimbleberries grow tall, and are very easy to pick. They are comparable to a raspberry, only much larger and thimble shaped. They taste a little sweet and a little tart at the same time. They are SO delicious!


Thimbleberries are fragile. They don't hold their shape well. After you pick them, they sometimes collapse into themselves and become a little jam like. Perfect for a thimbleberry jam project! I make jam every year, but this is the first time I have picked enough thimbleberries to make a batch of jam. Plus also, if I don't have a batch of jam made by this time of year, I get a little nervous. You know how it is. Jam nervousness. It's a thing.


So, jam is easy. I use sugar and pectin in my jam because I preserve it and store it for months at a time. You could simply cook fresh picked berries down into a lovely berry reduction, sweeten with a touch of honey and have a perfect jar of  low sugar jammy goodness. That would be an awesome alternative! But as I said, I want to store my jam and the sugar content helps keep it more shelf stable.


First things first, prep your jars. This includes washing them in hot soapy water and then giving them a dunk in some boiling water. This helps further sanitize the jars, but also warms the jars which helps stabilize the glass jars from breaking when you are pouring the scalding hot jam into them. The danger level already sounds high, but I assure you, if you go slow, you'll be okay. Maybe also throw on an apron at this point for good measure. Whatever you do, don't wear a white shirt! Sometimes splatter happens. Warning.


Now let's get the jam going! First I rinsed the thimbleberries. Then I crushed them with a potato masher. I used a total of 4 cups prepared (crushed) berries. Place the berries in a medium- large saucepan. Gradually add your fruit pectin. I used a powdered pectin. Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, over high heat, stirring constantly.


Add the sugar at this point, 5 cups of granulated sugar to be exact, stirring to dissolve. Return the mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam in necessary.


Now can your jam. This includes pouring the hot jam into your prepared jars, sealing each jar with a lid and placing in a water bath for 8 to 10 minutes. After the water bath, I line up the jars on the counter top to cool. Allow the jam jars to cool completely. Give them away as special gifts to your friends and neighbors. They will love you more!




THIMBLEBERRY JAM


4 cups prepared thimbleberries
4 1/2 Tablespoons powdered pectin
5 cups granulated sugar




Belly up!!