Homemade Oregon Grape Holly Jelly
Mahonia aquifolium, Oregon grape holly
Oregon Grape Holly is neither a grape nor a holly. Botanically known as Mahonia aquifolium, it is a flower herb/shrub that has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine to treat numerous conditions, including psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, stomach issues, heartburn, and depression. All parts of the plant are edible. The root and stalk contain active plant compounds which may combat bacterial and fungal infections, as well as inflammatory and skin conditions. One of the compounds is berberine, which has both antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. These are reasons I chose it as one of the ingredients in Big Jim’s and Comfort Cream. The berries are very tart but rich in Vitamin C. To combat the tartness — I add a little juice from a sweeter berry.
I’ve begun growing my Oregon Grape many years ago because it is my practice to grow and learn about the plants I use in my products. It is a shrub that gets to a healthy size, and I wondered about the clusters of purple berries. Little did I know that they would make good-tasting jelly!
This year my Oregon Grape Holly bush was filled with berries, and I decided to give it a try. There are recipes online that I read over to get a general idea. Since I have been making jams and jellies for many years, I decided to use the information I had gathered from the online recipes and rework those into a jelly recipe I was already familiar with.
Gather 10-15 stalks of berries and strip off the berries.
It’s simple enough, so if you ever have the opportunity to harvest these berries (It is a popular landscaping shrub), gather your berries carefully (the holly-like leaves are sharp) and make a batch. Note: When using landscaping shrubs or wild-crafting, be sure you have permission and that they haven’t been sprayed or exposed to chemicals in the lawn nearby.
Wash them in cold water and put them in a large stainless steel pot.
Oregon Grape Holly Jelly can be made by following the recipe on the Sur Gel package for Grape Jelly, substituting Oregon grape juice for the grape juice. You will need about ten cups of Oregon grapes to have enough juice. I used four cups of Oregon grape juice and added one cup of cran-grape juice to cut the tartness of the Oregon grape berries.
Ingredients:
About ten cups Oregon Grape Berries
1 - packet Sur Gel
7 - cups of sugar
Supplies:
8 - one-cup jelly jars, or 4 - one-pint jars
Lids and rings
Soup ladle
Funnel
Rubber gloves
Water bath canner*
It will take a day or so for the jelly to firm up. To enjoy some of your jelly right away, pour about half a cup into a bowl and let it cool in the refrigerator. It should be nice and firm as soon as it cools.
