This year I ended up with almost a gallon of haskaps, which was more than enough to make the 5 cups of crushed berries I needed for this recipe.
After cleaning the berries, I measured how many cups of whole berries I had before crushing them. I like to keep track of that because it gives me a good idea of how many berries I’ll need next year.
It took 8 cups of whole haskaps to make the 5 cups of crushed berries I needed. I’d pick about 9 cups just to be safe.
I crushed the berries with a potato masher. You don’t want to turn them into mush. Crush them enough to split the skins open so they release their juice while cooking.
I couldn’t find Bernardin or Ball powdered pectin, so I used Certo instead. The packages are interchangeable when using the same amount of crushed berries, so there was no need to change the recipe.
The recipe inside the Certo box tells you to heat your jars in the oven, which can weaken mason jars, and it doesn’t tell you to water bath can the jam. I follow the recommendations from Ball, Bernardin, and the USDA, which recommend processing jams in a boiling water canner for safe storage.
I added the package of pectin to the crushed berries along with ¼ teaspoon of butter to help keep the foaming down. Then I stirred everything until the pectin was dissolved.
Before heating the berries, I measured out all 7 cups of sugar because once the berries come to a full boil, all the sugar needs to go in at once.
While the berries were heating, I put my clean 250 ml (½-pint) jars into hot water to warm them up.
Once the berries reached a full boil, I added all the sugar and stirred until it dissolved. Then I brought everything back to a full rolling boil that couldn’t be stirred down.
I filled the hot jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace.
I almost filled eight jars, but the last one wasn’t quite full enough to process. I set it aside to cool and put it in the fridge.
The seven full jars went into my Carey water bath canner. Since the canner wasn’t full, I added another jar filled with water to take up the empty space.
I poured in enough water to cover the jars by more than an inch and added vinegar to the canner water to help keep the jars from getting cloudy.
The water bath processing time is 10 minutes, but because I live between 1,000 and 2,000 feet above sea level, I adjusted the processing time to 15 minutes for altitude.
When the processing time was complete, I turned off the canner, removed the lid, and let the jars sit in the hot water for another 10 minutes before removing them.
The jars sat on the counter overnight, and by the next morning all seven had sealed.
The jar I put in the fridge was the first one I tried. I spread some jam on a homemade bun. The haskap jam had a nice balance of sweetness and tartness.
Homemade Haskap (Honey Berry) Jam
Yield: 7 x 250 ml (½-pint) jars
Ingredients
- 5 cups crushed haskap berries
- 1 package powdered pectin (Ball, Bernardin, or Certo interchangeable for this recipe amount)
- ¼ teaspoon butter (to reduce foaming)
- 7 cups sugar
Instructions
- Clean the haskaps and measure the whole berries before crushing. It took about 8 cups of whole berries to make 5 cups of crushed berries. Pick about 9 cups of whole berries to be safe.
- Crush the haskaps with a potato masher. Do not mash them into a smooth puree. Crush them enough to split the skins open so they release their juice.
- Add the powdered pectin and ¼ teaspoon of butter to the crushed berries. Stir until the pectin is dissolved.
- Measure out the 7 cups of sugar before heating the berries. Once the berries reach a full boil, the sugar needs to be added all at once.
- Heat the berries until they reach a full boil. Add all the sugar and stir until dissolved.
- Bring the mixture back to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.
- Fill hot 250 ml (½-pint) jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace.
- Remove air bubbles, wipe jar rims, apply lids, and place jars into a boiling water canner.
- Cover jars with more than 1 inch of water. Add vinegar to the canner water if desired to help prevent cloudy jars.
- Process jars for 10 minutes at altitudes below 1,000 feet. For elevations above 1,000 feet, increase the processing time by 5 minutes for each additional 1,000 feet of elevation. Since this batch was processed between 1,000 and 2,000 feet, the processing time was adjusted to 15 minutes.
- When processing is complete, turn off the canner, remove the lid, and wait 10 minutes before removing jars.
- Let jars cool undisturbed overnight and check seals before storing.
Notes
The Certo recipe instructions that come inside the package are not the method used here. For shelf-stable storage, follow tested canning recommendations from sources such as Ball, Bernardin, or the USDA and process jam in a boiling water canner.
The leftover jam that was not enough to fill a jar for processing was refrigerated and used first.
Print RecipeFrequently Asked Questions
How many haskaps do I need to make this jam?
It took about 8 cups of whole haskaps to make the 5 cups of crushed berries needed for this recipe. I would start with about 9 cups of whole berries to make sure you have enough.
What are haskaps?
Haskaps, also called honey berries, are a hardy berry with a sweet and tart flavour. They make an excellent jam because they have a rich berry taste that is different from many common garden berries.
Can I use frozen haskaps to make jam?
Yes. Frozen haskaps can be used to make jam. Thaw the berries first and measure the crushed berries before following the recipe.
Can I use Certo instead of Ball or Bernardin pectin?
Yes. The packages are interchangeable when using the same amount of crushed berries, so Certo can be used for this recipe without changing the other ingredients.
Why shouldn’t I follow the jar heating instructions in the Certo package?
The Certo instructions include heating jars in the oven, which can weaken mason jars, and they do not include water bath processing instructions. For shelf-stable jam, follow tested canning recommendations from sources such as Ball, Bernardin, or the USDA and process the filled jars in a boiling water canner.
Why add butter when making haskap jam?
Adding ¼ teaspoon of butter helps reduce foaming while the jam is cooking. It does not affect the finished jam.
Why do I need to remove air bubbles before processing?
Removing air bubbles helps ensure the correct amount of headspace and helps the jars seal properly during processing.
What size jars can I use for this recipe?
This recipe was made using 250 ml (½-pint) jars. Do not use larger jars because processing times have not been provided for jars over 250 ml. Smaller jars may be used, but the processing time should not be reduced.
How do I adjust the processing time for altitude?
The base processing time is 10 minutes at elevations below 1,000 feet. For elevations above 1,000 feet, increase the processing time by 5 minutes for each additional 1,000 feet of elevation. For example, elevations between 1,000 and 2,000 feet require 15 minutes of processing time.
Why add vinegar to the water in the canner?
Adding vinegar to the canner water helps prevent mineral deposits from leaving a cloudy film on the outside of the jars. It does not affect the jam inside the jars.
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