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Blogs by Carol Van Der Woude
Thimbleberry Jam and Allergy Diets 12/4/2010 6:54:36 PM
About the same time that I was working on allergy elimination diets for my kids, I discovered thimbleberry jam. During a two week vacation in Upper Michigan, my mom and dad took us berry picking. We picked the velvety red thimbleberries along an old, abandoned railroad track. Thimbleberries grow wild, period.
We cleaned and sorted the berries, then made jam. Thimble berry jam is simple; simmer the thimbleberries with sugar. Pour the hot jam into half-pint canning jars and process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.
I was always looking for ways to limit the amount of sugar in our diet. I cut the sugar suggested in a recipe by 1/3. then I tried making the jam sweetened with honey. It was good! The kids enjoyed thimbleberry jam with almond butter on rice cakes.
I have developed the persistant habit of tweaking recipes. I posted a recipe for thimbleberry biscuits on my website (www.carolvanderwoude.com). Today I tweaked the recipe again. Instead of 1/2 C. yogurt I substituted 1/4 C. applesauce and 1/4. C. yogurt. I was out of honey so I used sugar. The dough was a little dry so I added several tablespoons of water.
When friends ask me for a recipe I have to think about it. How did I make it the last time?
