Keweenaw Gold

Some folks refer to thimbleberries as "Keweenaw Gold." I guess we would have to agree, as we both love the jam made from these berries, and it sells for about $10-$14 per 9 oz. jar. Since we first tasted thimbleberry jam and realized thimbleberries were growing in abundance on our property, we've talked about making our own jam. That was impossible until we moved here, as our trips never seemed to coincide with picking time. We were thrilled with the crop we harvested last year. We even had a little help from some of our friends who were visiting and from Steve's granddaughter, Grace (although she ate almost all the berries she picked!).

The thimbleberry plant develops beautiful white flowers first.

The pink berries grow in clusters.

They're ready to pick when they soften and turn bright red.

You gently pull the hollow cap of the berry off the stem - it looks sort of like a thimble.

We were really busy during thimbleberry season, so I cleaned the berries and got them in the freezer. 

Since Steve stays away from sweets and breads after the first of the year, I was in no great rush to get the jam made. He has allowed himself the occasional bran muffin since the end of April and will now begin indulging in the occasional slice of homemade bread or burger on a bun. Thus, it was time to get started with jam production.

It doesn't take very long to make a batch of jam. I somehow managed to thaw the exact amount of berries to fill the 24 jars I had in the house. I know I have more jars somewhere - probably in one of our storage units - but it could take hours to find them! It was easier to stop at the store after Church this afternoon to buy 24 new jars. We'll need them if we pick a bigger crop this year anyway. I should have enough frozen berries left to fill all the new jars with this crop, so jam production will continue tomorrow. 

We're really going to enjoy our first batch of thimbleberry jam, and we'll save a lot of money by not buying it from the local shops this year. Now, here's what you've been waiting for - the money shot!

I'll have more construction news for you soon. All is well in the Keweenaw.