Oregon grape laden with berriesThe Oregon Grape in the park near our house is a luscious deep purple blue color and the berries are just a bit soft to the touch. On the way home I picked some berries then made jam with my harvest. This deep blue jam has a great flavor and pairs nicely with sourdough bread or vanilla ice cream.
The two species we have growing in the Seattle area are the tall Oregon-grape (Mahonia aquifolium) and low Oregon-grape (Mahonia nervosa). The berries from both of these can be used to make jellies, jams or fruit leather.
Here’s how to make the jam:
Prepare the Oregon Grapes
- Collect berries that are a deep blue purple color and slightly soft
- Wash and pick through your harvest removing leaves, stems and any berries that are over or under ripe
- Put berries and enough water to just cover in a pot and cook until soft. This usually takes about 10 to 15 minutes
- Run the cooked berries through a food mill to separate out the seeds and skins from the pulpy juice
Turn fruit into jam
- Measure 4 cups of mashed berries and 2 cups of sugar. (If you like sweet jam may need 3 cups.)
- Add two tablespoons of pectin to the sugar and mix well. (I like to use Pomona Pectin)
- Get your canning jars and lids ready for filling
- Add the amount of 2 t calcium water to 4 cups of fruit mixture
- Bring to a boil
- Add in the well mixed pectin powder and sugar
- Bring to a second boil and pour into waiting jars
- Process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes
Ripe and ready to pickEnjoy!
I have always wanted to try making some, don’t trust that I know which berries to pick… As soon as I figure it out, going to make a batch!
Hi Sarah,
Here is an identification guide that might help: http://budburst.org/pdfs/idguides/Oregongrape_id.pdf. It is important to make sure you are getting the right berry and that it hasn’t been sprayed with anything. Let me know if it’s still hard to id and let’s go for a walk!
Diana