Thimbleberry Jam

As I may have mentioned before, one of my favorite things to do when we are in Michigan, is to pick thimbleberries and make jam.  This year, we were there right at the beginning of the berries.  If we had stayed another week I would have canned at least another dozen jars.

Here's what the berries look like on the bushes (plants? patch?).  You always have to remember to look under the leaves for more.

Cleaning and sorting the berries.

Cooking the jam.  (it's a one-to-one ratio, berries to sugar).  I brought the mixture to a boil and then cooked it for three minutes.

Jars, boiled and ready for filling.

Using the jam funnel.

One jar in the window.

 

Leftovers for putting on toast. 

We made over a dozen jars of thimbleberry and four wild blueberry.  That's all until next year ... if I go back again at berry picking time.

This is me picking berries when I was young.