Harvest

The fall equinox has passed and Orion is creeping above the horizon of the night sky.  Always my favorite constellation, perhaps it is his belt, so easily identified.  As a child, I used to eagerly await the coming of Fall, carefully following The Hunter’s ascent into the night sky.  As an adult,  the shift of seasons has caught me by surprise and I’m scrambling to catch up.

A stiff breeze blowing outside our door carries a hint of Autumn cold, but the sun is bright and welcoming. We’ve spent the morning collecting currants, rose hips, and chokecherries for jelly. Our fingers are stained and hands scratched, but our buckets are full.  My heart is full.  The simple act of gathering and storing ones’ own food, never ceases to thrill me.  However, there is just enough fruit for a few small batches of preserves.  Birds and beasts have better timing, they have no need to wait for the weekend to collect share.

In the spirit of self-reliance and the harvest season, I’ll share my highly scientific chokecherry jelly recipe.

Chokecherry Jelly

Wash the fruit, sort out sticks and leaves (and bugs for good measure)

Just cover with water and bring to a boil (feel free to throw in any incantations you might know here), for at least 15 minutes, in a lidded pot.

My favorite part, do the mash.  Remove from heat and using a large spoon or potato masher, smash the fruit to release the juice. 

Using cheesecloth or a fine mesh screen, strain the juice from the pulp and pits.  Transfer the juice to a large pot and add sweetener (sugar or honey) and pectin.  The ratio I use is 2 1/2 Tbsp pectin and 1 cup sugar per 2 cups of fruit juice.

Can, using water bath method process for 10 minutes.  If your jelly doesn’t set, don’t despair, call it syrup and enjoy.