It was early July and berries were bountiful at the Corvallis farmers market: gigantic loganberries and big fat Spartan blueberries, elegant little black raspberries and gorgeous Marionberries.
I was experiencing the blessing and the curse of seasonal produce. It’s just so darned seasonal. Swooping in and tantalizing, then disappearing faster than a falling star. Poof! Gone.
To make it last, there’s canning.
Berries always make the cut. Especially caneberries. Indeed, we’re a lucky lot here in the Northwest. Our berries are exquisite, plentiful and affordable.
Types of caneberries
For the uninitiated, caneberries are, quite simply, berries that grow on a cane. They fall into two basic categories, raspberries and blackberries.
If you can get a look at their innards, it’s easy to tell the difference. Blackberries come with their center core still attached. If the berry has a hollow center, indicating that the core was left behind on the vine, it’s a raspberry.
Then there are the hybrids, which are berries resulting from the crosses made between the raspberry and the blackberry. Here’s a brief description of how some of the more famous hybrids came to be:
Marionberry: Introduced in 1956, after years and years of cross-breeding. The creation of the Marionberry began with the pairing of a blackberry with a raspberry, which produced a Loganberry.
Many different crossings sprang from the Loganberry, and ultimately, two of those breeds – the Chehalem and the Olallie – were crossed to produce the Marionberry.
Grown almost exclusively in western Oregon, it has become the most widely planted blackberry variety in the world since it is considered the perfect berry for pies, cobblers and hand-to-mouth consumption.
The seeds are small and not too numerous, making the Marionberry an excellent choice for home-made jam.
Loganberry: Thought to be a hybrid between the Red Antwerp red raspberry and a trailing blackberry; developed by plant breeder Judge James Harvey Logan of Santa Cruz, Calif., in the 1880s.
Boysenberry: Developed by Rudolph Boysen in the 1920s. It was the result of blackberry, raspberry and Logan crosses.
Tayberry: First released in 1977 near the Tay River in Scotland after a successful cross between a raspberry and an Aurora blackberry. Similar in flavor to the Loganberry, with a bit more zest and earthiness.
Berries of one sort or another will be available into August. And then there are always the wild blackberries that are free for the picking.
If you want to capture a bit of berry essence for down the road, read on. I’ve got two wonderful recipes to consider.
But first, a word of caution about picking out your produce. Taste before you buy. Any caring vendor or produce sales person will support your request; and you should ask, of course.
Flavor varies dramatically depending on variety and growing conditions, particularly in a year when the weather hasn’t been cooperating.
Storing caneberries
Do not rinse until just before using. Store in shallow layer (not deeper than 3 or 4 inches), loosely covered, in your refrigerator, for as long as four days (I’ve kept half a flat in the fridge for a week, but that was pushing it!).
Freezing caneberries
The best method for preparing purees and jams later is freezing them unsweetened individually, however, unsweetened fruit will lose quality faster than those packed in sugar or syrup; you can generally store for eight months without sacrificing quality.
Place washed, well-drained, sorted berries on a cookie sheet in single layer and freeze until firm. Pack into freezer-proof plastic bags or containers and freeze.
For syrup pack, pack berries into rigid plastic freezer-proof containers or straight-sided glass jars, covering with a medium syrup (51/4 cups hot water to 21/4 cups sugar; heat to melt the sugar), and leaving 1 inch head space. Seal and freeze
Sugar pack is the method recommended for making pies. Add 1/2 cup sugar to each quart of fruit, and mix thoroughly. Pack into rigid plastic freezer-proof containers or straight-sided glass jars, leaving 1/2-inch head space. Seal and freeze.
Using caneberries
This three-berry oven preserve is the recipe I developed after my morning at the farmers market a few weeks ago.
It’s simple to make and produces a very soft-style preserve, which works equally well as a topping for ice cream or even creme brule or custard.
If you don’t feel like processing the jars in a boiling water canner, simply ladle the jam into appropriate sized containers and refrigerate or freeze.
Three-berry oven preserves
2heaping cups raspberries
2heaping cups Marionberries
2cups blueberries
21/4cups turbinado sugar (see note)
2cups granulated sugar
1/3cup fresh lemon juice
In a large a large bowl, combine the freshly rinsed and drained raspberries, Marionberries and blueberries. Add the turbinado sugar, granulated sugar and lemon juice. With very large spoons or rubber spatula, gently toss the berries with the sugar to evenly distribute the sugar. Before the juices begin to run, divide the berry/sugar mixture between two 9-by-13-inch glass baking dishes.
Bake in preheated 450 degree oven for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through when the mixture begins to bubble and foam around the edges. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees, stir the fruit again and continue baking for 20 minutes.
Remove the baking dishes from the oven and let stand until they have cooled slightly and the fruit has stopped bubbling. Carefully scrape both dishes of jam into a bowl. Once in the bowl, it is easier to ladle the preserves into individual containers for storage in the refrigerator or freezer.
For long-term storage at room temperature: have 5 half-pint canning jars washed and ready for filling when the jam is through baking. After the jam has been poured into a bowl, but while it is still hot, ladle into 1 clean and hot canning jar at a time, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Wipe jar rim with a clean damp cloth. Attach lid. Fill and close remaining jars. Process in a boiling-water canner for 10 minutes (at 1,000 to 3,000 feet, process for 15 minutes; 3,000 to 6,000 feet, for 20 minutes; above 6,000 feet, for 25 minutes).
Makes about 5 cups.
Note on turbinado sugar: This is a less processed sugar than white granulated sugar. The crystals are larger and crunchy, unlike brown sugar, which is soft and smooshy.
The brand most people are aware of is “Sugar In The Raw,” which many folks like to use in coffee and tea. You’ll find turbinado sugar in the sugar section of most well-stocked supermarkets.
This is equally delicious over ice cream and under cheesecake.
Use fruit that is ripe and colorful for its variety. Do not use overripe, or moldy fruit.
Fresh-frozen berry puree
Two pounds raspberries or blackberries will yield approximately 3 scant cups of seedless puree.
Gently wash fruit in colander; drain well, then place in a large, heavy pot. Crush the berries with a potato masher. Heat to a boil, stirring often to prevent scorching, to soften the pulp, then remove from heat. Work the berry pulp through a sieve or food mill into a large bowl. Discard the seeds.
Sweeten to taste (if desired) with granulated sugar, and add 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice per 3 cups of puree (this is both a flavor and color enhancer).
To freeze, choose from the following options. When ready to use, simply thaw.
* Pack into freezer containers, leaving 3/4-inch head space for pints and 1 1/2 inches for quarts.
* Spoon the puree into ice cube trays and freeze. Once frozen, release the cubes from their trays, pack into recloseable freezer bags and store in freezer. Remove the cubes as needed and return the rest to the freezer.
As regular readers of this column know, I’ve been using this recipe for years.
The secret to perfection is the brief, fast cooking in small batches. A wide, shallow pan (a 12-inch skillet is perfect) is essential.
It also works with other cane berries, particularly the Marionberry.
Beyond peerless red raspberry preserves
4heaping cups red raspberries
31/4cups sugar (1 pound, 4 ounces)
1/3cup strained fresh lemon juice
1teaspoon butter
Sort fresh berries, discarding any that are soft, moldy or otherwise suspect. Rinse them and drain them well. Thaw frozen raspberries, saving all their juice. Stir the berries (including the juice from thawed berries), the sugar and lemon juice together in a bowl, using a rubber spatula; let the mixture stand, stirring gently once or twice, until the sugar has dissolved, about 2 hours (many times I let it sit all day in the refrigerator, or overnight).
Wash four half-pint canning jars (note: you need to use canning jars if you’re planning to prepare the jam for storage at room temperature, because you’ll be processing the jam in a boiling water canner; if you plan to store your jam in the refrigerator, any jars or plastic containers will work just fine). Keep hot until needed. Prepare lids as manufacturer directs.
Scrape the mixture into a large skillet or saute pan. Bring it to a boil, stirring constantly with a straight-ended wooden or nylon spatula, and boil it rapidly for 6 minutes. Remove from heat.
The butter helps reduce foam, but if some remains after you’ve removed the skillet from the burner and let the jam settle for about 10 seconds, skim it off.
For storage in the refrigerator, ladle hot preserves into clean jars or plastic container. Attach lids and let cool. Store in the refrigerator (jam keeps for ages – 24 months and beyond, really).
For long-term storage at room temperature, ladle the hot preserves into one hot canning jar at a time, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Wipe jar rim with a clean, damp cloth. Attach lid. Fill and close remaining jars. Process in a boiling-water canner for 10 minutes (at 1,000 to 3,000 feet, process for 15 minutes; 3,000 to 6,000 feet, for 20 minutes; above 6,000 feet, for 25 minutes).
Makes about 31/2 cups jam.
Adapted from “Fancy Pantry” by Helen Witty
Jan Roberts-Dominguez is a Corvallis, Ore., food writer, cookbook author and artist. Readers can contact her by e-mail at janrd@proaxis.com.
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