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Chokecherries
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Blossoms:
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May
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Ripens:
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September
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Chokecherries grow on shrubs or small trees from three to
ten feet. The leaves are 1 ½” to 4” in length. The flowers are white and
their pea-sized fruit grows in clusters. When the cherries are ripe, they are
usually dark purple or black in color. Sometimes there are also cherries of
reddish or orange color. When picking, pick the light red and green ones too,
because they add flavor and pectin.
Chokecherry fruits are popular in making jelly. Any recipe that calls for
sour cherry or elderberry jelly can be substituted with chokecherry fruit. A
mixture of half chokecherry juice and half apple or red currant juice also
makes a tasty product. Red currant juice does not influence the chokecherry flavor,
as does apple juice.
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Chokecherry Jam
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Remove stems from chokecherries and wash, then drain.
Add 1 cup of water to each four cups of fruit.
Place over slow (or low) heat and simmer until fruit is very tender, stir
occasionally.
Rub pulp through a medium sieve.
Measure the pulp and add an equal amount of sugar.
Place over moderate heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Bring to a full, rolling boil, until the mixture “ sheets.”
Stir frequently. Pour into hot sterile jars filling ¾ of the jar.
Seal and process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes, then cool and/or
freeze.
Three cups of pulp make about three (3) half-pints of jam.
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Nanking Cherry
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Blossoms:
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April
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Ripens:
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July-August
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Nanking cherry is a spreading shrub with rose-type leaves.
The plant grows to about 10’ in height. It flowers in late April and produces
an edible fruit. The fruit of Nanking cherries is bright red and sweet. It is
excellent for use in jelly and wine making but lacks the size and firmness
necessary for canning. Dividing the crowns of established shrubs or planting
the seed could propagate Nanking cherry. Nanking cherries need cross
pollination, for fruit production; therefore more than one plant is required.
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Nanking Cherry Jelly
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16 cups (4L) ripe Nanking cherries
5 cups (1.25L) sugar 1 ¼ cups (300 ml) water
2 pouches Certo liquid
To prepare juice, combine cherries and water in a Dutch oven. Bring to a
boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 35 minutes. Mash mixture
occasionally while cooking. Strain through a jelly bag. Measure 3 cups (750 ml)
juice into a Dutch oven. Add sugar and mix well. Place Dutch oven over high
heat and bring mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly.
Immediately stir in Certo. Continue to stir over high heat until mixture
returns to a full boil. Boil hard for 40 seconds only, stirring constantly.
Don’t overcook! Remove from heat and skim foam if necessary. Pour into hot sterilized
jars, leaving ¼” (6mm) headspace. Wipe jar rims thoroughly. Seal and process
in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Yield: about 6 cups (1.5L).
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Golden Currant
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Blossoms:
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April
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Ripens:
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July
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This common and attractive plant is found along the
margins of streams, in alluvial areas and on moist slopes at elevations to
9000’. Under favorable growing conditions it may reach 6 feet in height. The
fruit it produces is dark red or black at maturity. The fruit is sweet and
edible. The bright yellow flowers that are produced in early spring, the
tasty fruit and the attractive growth habit make it a much sought after plant
for cultivation.
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Syrup
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Choose ripe, sweet berries with uniform color. Wash 1 or 2
quarts of Berries at a time. Drain, cap and stem if necessary. Prepare and
boil Syrup if desired. Add ½ cup of syrup (medium syrup – 5 ¼ cups of water
to 2 ¼ cups of sugar for 9 pint or 4 quart load, 8 ¼ cups water to 3 ¾ cups
of sugar for 7 quart load), juice or water to clean jar. Hot pack – For
blueberries, currants, elderberries and gooseberries, heat berries in boiling
water for 30 seconds and drain. Fill hot jars and cover with hot juice,
leaving ½ “ headspace. Adjust lids
and process.
Recommended processing times:
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Elevation
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1000'
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3000'
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6000'
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6000+'
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Pints
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15 min
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20 min
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20 min
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25 min
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Quarts
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15
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20
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20
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25
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Piñon Pine
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A native to New Mexico, this tree is common in foothills and low mountain
areas throughout New Mexico. It is very slow growing, irregular in shape and
well branched. Cones are often gathered to extract the seed, which are edible
and sold on the open market in raw form or added to recipes such as piñon
brittle candy. The Piñon pine is also New Mexico’s State tree.
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Piñon Cakes
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2 c Piñon nuts
¾ c water
½ tsp salt
2 T cooking oil
Puree the nuts in a blender or chop and then roll with a rolling pin to a
course meal. Mix the Piñon meal with the water and salt to form a stiff
batter. Let batter stand at room temperature for about an hour before
cooking. Place oil in a large heavy skillet; heat until a drop of water will
sizzle. Drop Piñon batter from a spoon, shaping it into six cakes about 3
1/2'” in diameter with a well greased spatula. Reduce heat and brown cakes
slowly on each side. Serve hot or cold as bread.
Makes 6 cakes.
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Woods Rose
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This hardy shrub produces showy pink flowers in the spring. It is excellent
cover for grouse and other fowl. Big game animals readily graze them when
present in winter range. It is a good soil stabilizer.
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Rose Petal Jelly
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1 cup fresh, fragrant and unsprayed rose petals
(Best gathered in the morning. Cut off white base on each
clump of petals as it adds bitterness.)
Juice from one lemon
2 1/2 cups of sugar
1 package powdered pectin
1 1/2 cups water
Put petals, lemon juice and 3/4 cups water in blender and blend until smooth.
Gradually add sugar. Put mixture in saucepan and stir in the pectin, 3/4 cup
of water and boil the mixture hard for one minute, stirring constantly. Put
it all back in the cleaned blender and stir until smooth. Pour into hot
sterile jars leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Process for 10 minutes in a boiling
water bath, or freeze.
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Buffalo Berry
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This native species is found along the banks of streams or on eroded dry
hillsides in northwestern New Mexico. The plant is highly important for mule
deer browse and cover for nesting birds. It is a good late winter source of
food for birds. The tart red fruit of this plant is used for jellies and
jams.
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Buffaloberry Jam
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16 cups Buffaloberries
2 cups water
1 cup sugar per cup of juice
Wash and stem Buffaloberries. Pick them over and discard unwanted berries. Place in a deep pan with water and bring
to a boil, stirring to prevent burning.
Boil 15 minutes, drain, mash, to get all juice. Strain through a jelly bag. Measure the juice. Add one cup of sugar for each cup of
juice. Blend together, stirring until
sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil
and test for jellying. When two drops
run together off the side of the spoon, put into hot sterilized jars,
skimming first. Process jars in
boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
Makes eight 8oz jars. Two cups
of juice makes on 8oz jar of jelly.
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