Farm Fresh to Favorite Recipes: Loganberries

This is only my second post in this category but I look forward to writing them and sharing my farm adventures with all of you. In mid-July my husband and I took a date day trip to a nearby farm to do some berry picking on the Olympic Peninsula. They offer strawberries, raspberries, loganberries, blueberries, blackberries, boysenberries and lavender.

The Farm Visit: Graysmarsh Farm is located in Sequim, WA and is a locally owned and operated farm that grows berries, lavender, and has started producing honey and essential oils. They pride themselves on establishing a connection with every customer and hand packaging all of their products that are shipped out for online orders. The farm is very close to the shoreline of the Salish Sea which gives it an extra magical feeling as you are picking berries. When we were at the farm strawberries, raspberries, loganberries, and lavender were available. Stay tuned for my strawberry and lavender posts…

Picking Loganberries: My husband and I had never had a loganberry before so it took a little trial and error to know which berries were ready for picking. The loganberries were the most unusual color – almost like a muted maroon raspberry color. The key is to pick the berries that separate easily from the core which remains on the plant. I like to have a mixture of very ripe (fall off effortlessly) to a little under ripe (need a little tug) to have a balance of sweetness and tartness for my recipes. Loganberries are a hybrid of raspberries and blackberries and are absolutely delicious!

Celebrating my Mom: I think it should be a new tradition to wear my Mom’s sunhat to every farm I visit. We loved creating and trying new recipes together in the kitchen and it was fun to be creative with how to use these loganberries. Being on a farm and harvesting fruits/vegetables/flowers makes my heart feel content and happy – which is how I feel when I think of my Mom.

Into the Kitchen: After arriving home with our loganberries I emptied them into a large colander and spritzed them with a fruit and vegetable cleaner (I like Trader Joe’s Fruit and Vegetable wash) and let them sit there for ~10 minutes or so while I gathered all of my kitchen supplies to make a loganberry syrup. After a good rinse I put all of my loganberries, ~12 cups in a large pot on the stove. Follow the step by step instructions below if you’d like to make your own homemade loganberry syrup, you can use it in so many ways!

Homemade Loganberry Syrup

Ingredients: 

• 12 cups of fresh loganberries
• 6 1/2 cups of sugar
• One package of Sure Jell Certo liquid fruit pectin 
• 8 clean pint jars (16 oz.) with two piece lids – you can also use small 4 oz. jars if you want to give it as gifts

Step One: Clean your berries – you can use water or use a fruit and vegetable wash – let drain for ~10 minutes. 

Step Two: Put all of the berries in a large pot on the stove and add in the sugar – mix well using a spatula so the berries are evenly covered.

Step Three: Bring the berries and the sugar to a full roiling boil (this is a boil that does not stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, boil for 1 minute while stirring constantly. 

Step Four: Stir in the one package of liquid fruit pectin, return to a full roiling boil for 1 minute while stirring constantly. Remove from the heat while you gather your jars and a large 4 cup Pyrex measuring cup (you can use a ladle but I prefer pouring, it’s less messy). 

Step Five: Pour a portion of the jam mixture into your large Pyrex measuring cup and fill up the jars within 1/2″ of the top. You’ll need to fill up your large measuring cup a few times to fill all of the jars. Wipe down the outside of the jars (if needed) with a damp cleaning rag and cover with the two piece lids screwing the lid on tight. You should have ~8 pint jars filled with fresh loganberry syrup when you are done. 

Step Six: If you don’t want to refrigerate all of the jars of syrup you’ll need to seal your cans. This is pretty simple! Take the largest pot you have and put in as many jars of the jam as possible into the pot – my 8 quart pot holds 4 jars easily. Fill the pot up with water until the jars are covered with 1-2″ of water. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil – boil for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the jars (I use tongs) and place them on a kitchen towel to cool completely. 

Step Seven: After the jars have cooled completely you can check the seals by pressing the middle of the lid with your finger – if the lid springs back the lids are not sealed and you’ll need to refrigerate the jars. If the lid does not spring back then it is safe to store in your pantry for ~ 1 year. Enjoy!

Onto the Table: We use the loganberry syrup on pancakes, to make fresh fruit parfaits, over ice cream and in drinks (add 1 tablespoon to sparkling water or club soda or into lemonade). If you have other ideas on how to use it make sure you comment on this post.