Cooking Classes

11.1.11

Haskap Jam

Okay, so I have been holding out on you.  I made this last July but I was not sure if this post would be interesting.  Especially since most of you will have no access to haskaps aka  Blue Honeysuckle.  Haskaps are relatively new to the Canadian prairies and are very well suited to our climate.  This is also known as the edible Blue Honeysuckle.  The season is early,  June to be exact.  I had never heard of this berry until I started visiting my favourite U-Pick, Treasure Valley Markets near Cadillac, Saskatchewan.

These berries are originally from Russia.  The University of Saskatchewan is studying the adaptability of this berry to our area.  The soil conditions and climate are ideal.

And yes, in Cadillac, the streets are named after models of cars!  Isn't that wild!

Linda of Treasure Valley Markets gave me a bag of frozen haskaps and challenged me to come up with a few recipes.  I had great success.  I made four different recipes and quickly went back for more.

But I have now been adapting my first tries and starting over.  I made haskap jam without pectin.  Last time I made a tiny batch and used liquid pectin.  It seems that haskaps have a lot of natural pectin and I had no problem getting this jam to set up.  In fact, I think I boiled it a little too long and have a very firm jam.  Remember the recipe for jams and jellies?  Fruit, sugar, pectin and acid.  I have not tried this without lemon juice, but there may be enough acid in the haskaps to make a good jam.

This jam is so intensely flavoured that a little goes a long way.  In fact, I prefer to use it in a recipe rather than on toast.

Haskap Jam

2 cups frozen haskaps
2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Mix the haskaps with the sugar and bring to a boil.  Add the lemon juice.  Continue to boil until it has reached the jam stage.  Skim off any scum that forms.  Test your jam on a plate that has been chilled in the freezer.  Put a half teaspoon of jam on the cold plate and let it cool down for awhile.  If the mixture does not run when you tip the plate, it is thick enough.

So I know that you are scratching your collective heads and thinking, what the heck is a haskap?  What does it taste like?  They are an odd shaped berry and look almost like a lima bean.  They are very tart and must have sugar added.  But once cooked and sweetened, my gosh, they are the most flavourful and amazing berry I have ever tasted.  The common descriptor is to say they are a raspberry, blackberry, saskatoon and blueberry rolled into one.  In my sense of taste, they are a very intense raspberry/blackberry.  I would use it like I would use a raspberry.




16 comments:

  1. I have never heard of haskaps but an interesting post. Diane

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  2. This is a first for me too. I have never heard of them before. I wanted to make Oregon Grape jelly which is native to our area in the fall but never did get around to it quickly enough.

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  3. There's lots of info about edible blue honeysuckle here including tasty recipes, especially the last one. Thanks for sharing it.

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  4. haskaps? well, ya learn something new every day! i like the name and i like the look of the finished jam. i'd eat it. :)

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  5. I recently bought some jam, jelly, and frozen berries from Clayton and Marg Wiebe just north of Saskatoon, SK (bluehoneysuckle.blogspot.com). Marg used 3/4 c sugar per cup of berries and no additional pectin or lemon. She did add pectin to the jelly. The jam is tarter than the jelly, and yes, has the most intriguing taste!

    My experiments with the berries (known as honeyberries in the USA) are recorded at www.honeyberryusa.com/gpage1.html. Just wait til you try a haskap sauce with cheesecake or ice cream!

    I'm going to be checking back to your site for more great recipes as well as tips on culinary photography! Seeing your fotos and reading your comments is the next best thing to getting our fingers right into that pie!

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  6. There are more recipe's using Haskap Berries (blue honeysuckle berries) on www.haskapnovascotia.com

    It's worth a visit!

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  7. There are more recipe's using Haskap Berries (blue honeysuckle berries) on www.haskapnovascotia.com

    It's worth a visit!

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  8. I just bought two plants here in Ontario and am excited about the prospects of growing my own berries. Thanks PC garden center.

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  9. how in the heck do you remove the pit from a haskap berry? I was given some and am trying to make jam & don't really want to leave that in there. Thanks! Jen

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    1. I have no idea! I buy mine from a local market garden and they are ready to go. However, they did tell me that sour cherry pits come out easier if they are slightly frozen. Perhaps it is the same with haskaps.

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  10. I have 26 Honeyberry bushes in my orchard, Most of them the Borealis variety. Some say plant them 6 feet apart and 6 feet between the rows, nope - bad idea. I had to transplant some and make it at least 7 feet apart or their is no room to work(pick) otherwise. Great addition to the small grower. Berries drop off when picking so line the ground with a screen before harvesting a bush.

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  11. I have 5 shrubs that I planted 2 years ago. Since I live in Northern Canada I was sceptical that they would survive our harsh winters. They did and are very healthy and happy. Yesterday I picked 5 cups of ripe plump berries. Once I mashed them down there was 4 cups which I made jam with using the above recipe. Fantastic ! It set wonderfully. I might just buy some more plants.

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    1. Thanks for the feedback, Kailey. Glad it worked for you. Do you know which varieties of haskaps you have?

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