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Foraging for wild fruits can be a fun and rewarding activity for the family. What a great way to get out and enjoy nature and reap tasty rewards at the same time. A surprising number of fruits can be found growing wild in Minnesota's fields and woods. A number of them can be used to make delectable jellies, jams, and syrups. The fruits can also be canned or frozen.
When canning wild fruits, heat-process them in a boiling water bath canner for the same time as cultivated counterparts. A thin or medium syrup is recommended for canning wild fruits. Frozen wild fruits are prepared and sweetened following the recommendations for cultivated fruits.
Extracting juice from the fruit is the first step in the preparation of fruit syrup and fruit jelly. If extracting juice for use in syrup or pectin-added jelly, use ripe fruit or berries. If the juice is to be used for traditional or long boil method jelly, use 1/4 under ripe and 3/4 ripe fruit. Wash fruit. Crush berries and cut up larger fruits into smaller pieces before cooking. Recommendations for the amount of water to add to the fruit and cooking times can be found below. Bring to a boil in a covered stainless steel or enamel kettle and then simmer. Cool and strain through cheesecloth or a jelly bag. In most cases expect to get 1 to 1-1/3 cups of juice per pound of fruit. Chokecherries, Juneberries, and rose hips yield about 1 ½ cups of juice per pound. American highbush cranberries, grapes, and plums give close to 2 cups of juice per pound of fruit.
| Fruit | Water per lb. fruit | Cooking time |
Bring to a boil, then simmer. |
||
| Blackberries & Gooseberries | 1/4 cup | 5-10 minutes |
| Juneberries & Chokecherries* | Water to cover | 15 minutes or until soft |
| American Highbush Cranberries | 3 cups | 3-5 minutes |
| Rose hips | Water to cover | 15 minutes or until soft |
| Wild grapes | 1 cup | 5-10 minutes |
| American Plum | 3 cups | 10-15 minutes |
*When extracting juice from chokecherries, DO NOT crush the seeds. They contain a cyanide-forming compound which can cause illness or death if eaten in large amounts. Chokecherry recipes, in particular, often mention crushing the berries without mentioning this.
4 cups chokecherry juice
4 cups sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 package powdered pectin
Extract chokecherry juice as directed above. Do Not Crush Seeds
Combine ingredients and boil for 2 minutes; pour into clean jars and screw on lids. Process jars of syrup 10 minutes in boiling water bath to sterilize and seal.
Reviewed by Debbie Botzek-Linn, 2009
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