Arrow-right Camera
Subscribe now

Season right for huckleberry jam

Lorie Hutson

I recently looked up a Dorothy Dean recipe for a reader that might come in handy for others this time of year.

Here’s a freezer jam recipe for huckleberries from the Dorothy Dean’s Homemaker Service “Huckleberry Hits” leaflet.

And I’m throwing in one more for good measure. How about Huckleberry Cheese Pie?

No-Cook Huckleberry Jam

From Dorothy Dean’s Homemaker Service

3 cups crushed huckleberries, about 4 1/2 cups ripe berries

6 cups sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 package liquid pectin

Measure crushed berries, sugar and lemon juice into large bowl. Stir until sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes … there may be a few remaining sugar crystals. Stir in liquid pectin quickly but thoroughly.

Ladle into clean glasses or freezer containers, filling to 1/2 inch from rim. Cover tightly then wash outsides of containers. Let stand until jam is set (this may take up to 24 hours) then store in freezer. If jam will be used within 2 or 3 weeks it may be stored in the refrigerator.

Yield: About 8 cups

Approximate nutrition per 2-ounce serving: 143 calories, no fat, less than 1 gram protein, 37 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, less than 1 gram dietary fiber, 2 milligrams sodium.

Huckleberry Cheese Pie

For the crust:

1/2 cup melted butter or margarine

1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs

For the filling:

8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

For the topping:

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup water, huckleberry juice or crushed huckleberries

2 cups fresh or partially thawed frozen huckleberries

For crust, combine melted butter and graham cracker crumbs. Press to bottom and sides of 9-inch pie pan; set aside.

For filling, blend cream cheese with eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla. Beat until smooth and creamy. Pour into crumb-lined pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, just until filling is set. Cool.

For topping, mix sugar and cornstarch in saucepan. Stir in water, berry juice or crushed berries and whole berries. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring until clear and thickened. Remove from heat; cool to room temperature. Spread over cooled cheese pie. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Yield: 8 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 440 calories, 25 grams fat (14 grams saturated, 50 percent fat calories), 6 grams protein, 50 grams carbohydrate, 115 milligrams cholesterol, 1 gram dietary fiber, 428 milligrams sodium.

Readers to the rescue

Reader Joyce Stookey called searching for a recipe for Confetti Potato Salad that she thought she saw in the newspaper. I searched our archives, Relish magazine, Parade magazine, American Profile and other newspaper inserts looking for it, but I came up empty.

I also did a Web search, and found many recipes, but I didn’t find anything that looked like it would have appeared in The Spokesman-Review.

Does anyone else out there remember seeing the recipe in the last few months? Send it my way if you have and I’ll forward it to Stookey.

Looking for a recipe? Have a food question? Lorie Hutson would like to hear from you. Write to Cook’s Notebook, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210, or e-mail to cooksnotebook@spokesman.com. As many letters as possible will be answered in this column; sorry, no individual replies.