Huckleberry Jelly Recipe with Pectin
Huckleberry jelly is a clear, jewel-purple spread made from strained huckleberry juice, sugar, and pectin. It tastes sweet-tart, deeper and wilder than blueberry, with a clean berry finish. This huckleberry jelly recipe takes about 3 hours total, most of it hands-off straining, and makes about 7 half-pints.
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Servings: 56
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 to 3 pounds fresh or frozen huckleberries, about 8 cups thaw frozen berries first; red huckleberries work too
- 1/2 cup water just enough to start the juice flowing
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice bottled or fresh; helps the pectin set
- 1 box regular powdered pectin 1.75 ounces
- 5 cup granulated sugar measure exactly, do not reduce
- 1/2 teaspoon butter optional; cuts down foam
- 7 half-pint canning jars with new lids and bands 8-ounce jars
Instructions
Step 1: Extract the Juice
- Rinse the berries and pick out any stems. Add them to a large pot with the 1/2 cup water and crush with a potato masher. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, cover, and cook 10 minutes, until the berries have burst and the liquid is deep purple.
Step 2: Strain Without Squeezing
- Pour the mixture into a damp jelly bag or a colander lined with several layers of cheesecloth set over a bowl. Let it drip for at least 2 hours. Squeezing makes the jelly cloudy, so be patient. Measure the juice. You need exactly 4 cups. If you are short, add water to reach 4 cups.
Step 3: Prep the Jars
- While the juice drips, wash the jars, lids, and bands in hot soapy water. Keep the jars hot in a water bath canner or a large pot of simmering water. Warm the lids in a small saucepan of hot (not boiling) water.
Step 4: Cook the Jelly
- Combine the 4 cups juice, lemon juice, pectin, and butter in a large, deep pot. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. That means bubbles that do not stop when you stir. Add all the sugar at once. Return to a full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring. Remove from the heat and skim off any foam with a spoon.
Step 5: Fill and Process the Jars
- Ladle the hot jelly into the hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Wipe the rims clean, add the lids, and screw on the bands until just fingertip tight. Lower the jars into boiling water covered by 1 to 2 inches. Process for 5 minutes at elevations up to 1,000 feet. Add 5 minutes for 1,001 to 6,000 feet, which matters in many mountain huckleberry areas.
Step 6: Cool and Set
- Turn off the heat, wait 5 minutes, then lift the jars out onto a towel. Leave them undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours. You should hear lids ping as they seal. The jelly can take up to 48 hours to fully set. Press each lid: it should not flex. Refrigerate any jar that did not seal and use it first. Lori's Tip: Do not double the batch in one pot. Pectin needs a fast, hard boil to set, and a bigger volume heats too slowly. Make two separate batches instead. As a dietitian, I also remind readers that sugar is a structural ingredient here, not just a sweetener. If you want less sugar, buy a pectin labeled low-sugar and follow the box ratios rather than cutting sugar from this recipe.
