Eating Native: Recipes from the Field—Oregon Grape Jelly

Oregon Grape. Photo by Shaun Hubbard, all rights reserved.

We are rapidly approaching the end of berry season for the year, although I'm still looking forward to my evergreen huckleberries (Vaccinium ovatum). Did anyone else see Roger Downey's fine Ode to the Mountain Blackberry (Rubus ursinus) recently in Crosscut?

This week, Amy Dearborn, who propagates perennials for Fourth Corner Nurseries in Bellingham, provides a way to enjoy Oregon grapes into the fall and winter. Thanks to Amy and to Fourth Corner Nurseries for permission to reprint this piece from their Fall 2013/Spring 2014 Wholesale Price List.

Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium) is a Pacific Northwest native shrub found from British Columbia to northern California. It can grow upwards of six feet tall, but is generally seen wild in the four-foot range. The leaves are dark green and very spiny, and make great hedgerows or living fences. The flowers are bright yellow in mid-spring, and by July the berries are perfect for picking.

While the dark blue to purple berries are bit sour to eat fresh, they are wonderful when made into preserves. The jelly has a tart, earthy flavor and beautiful dark blue color. The fruit is high in acid and pectin. You can mix other berries with Oregon grape, such as salal berries or blueberries, but make sure you have the correct amount of liquid to match your recipe and associated pectin. I used liquid pectin in the recipe below, however there are other low sugar varieties that work well if you want a more tart preserve.

Oregon Grape Jelly (makes 6 half pints)

3-5 lbs of washed, stemmed Oregon grapes (this is roughly equal to about 2 quarts of berries)
3 cups of water
5 cups of sugar
1 pkg of liquid pectin

1. Crush the grapes and add the water. I use a hand blender on low. Do not over mix, or it may alter the natural pectin in the fruit, making it frothy.
2. Boil for 10 minutes, mashing the berries a bit.
3. Place the mixture in a colander lined with cheesecloth. Let this drain a few hours, or until you have about 4 cups of juice. Discard the debris and cheesecloth.
4. Mix the juice with the sugar and bring to a rapid boil.
5. Add the pectin. Return to a full boil for one minute.
6. Place into warm sterilized jars, place the lids on, and put the jars into a boiling water bath for 10 minutes
7. Remove the jars from the water and let set overnight.