When All Else Fails....or at least when the freezer fails...Make Huckleberry Jam!

Have you ever had one of the days, where you have great plans to get certain projects done, and then..........something happens, like your deep freeze quits working?  ARGH!!!  Well that was my day today!  I had a list of projects that needed to be completed, and of course, I had two kiddos with soccer games and one at a Teen Bible Quizzing meet.  I went downstairs and, there trickling all over the floor was berry juice!  Oh joy!!! 

Each summer, our family has the tradition of going out in the mountains to pick huckleberries.  If you have ever done that, you know it takes quite a bit of work because the little buggers are....well.... little!  However, my family just LOVES to go huckleberry picking and they talk about it for months before and months after.  I always freeze the berries to save for later.....well, I guess today was later!   If you have never tried huckleberries, they are like a little wild blueberry with a much stronger punch!  People pay up to $40/gallon for them (yikes).   But, maybe it's worth it - look at the crazed look and purple tongue you get when you've got huckleberry fever:

This huckleberry fever even goes great with big blue eyes:

And it also causes one to sneak around mischievously and steal berries:

Here is a great recipe for Huckleberry Jam.  My sister shared it with me some years ago and it has never failed me yet!

Huckleberry Jam

4 cups huckleberries
1 cup apple juice
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 box fruit pectin
4 1/2 cups sugar

Mash huckleberries and combine in a kettle with apple juice, lemon juice and pectin.  Bring to a rolling boil, over moderate-high heat, stirring constantly.   Add sugar at once, and continue to stir until mixture boils again.  Allow to boil hard for one minute.  Remove from heat, skim off foam and ladle into hot sterilized jars.  Process in hot water bath following directions on package.  Makes 7-8 half pints.

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