Kiwi Berry Butter

I grow Actinidia arguta, also known as hardy kiwi or kiwi berry at my parents house. Well actually they grow themselves. I bought plants on clearance at whole foods 8 years ago and planted them different places across town. These are the only ones I know have survived, but I should probably check my old house in West Philly sometime. They grow like a grape vine and are well suited to Philadelphia's climate. They grow vigorously. It is hard to find much information about growing them or processing their fruit. They taste like a kiwi but with a smooth skin that slightly wrinkles as they ripen. They have tons of vitamin C and are delicious. I prefer them to "normal" kiwi.

I am always hesitant to invent my own canning recipes due to long term storage/ safety concerns but couldn't find any for kiwi berry. The best recipe I found was in the Ball blue book for conventional kiwi jam set with pectin. However once I multiplied out that recipe for the quantity of kiwi I had, I realized I didn't have enough pectin and it was an absurd amount of sugar. It was useful if I wanted to really stretch my crop, I could have made 2 dozen half pints by that recipe but that seemed unnecessary. Instead I opted to make up a fruit butter recipe, with Ball's acidity recommendations of 1 Tbl lemon per cup of fresh fruit. I used sugar quantities based on the apple butter recipe I had recently made. I cooked it down a really long time which should make the finished product safer , as the water cooks out the ratio of sugar and lemon to fruit increases, as well as improve the texture without needing to add pectin. I have no moral/healthful issues with pectin I just don't use it much so it makes me a little nervous.


Kiwiberry Butter

2 1/3 C water
9 C kiwiberry (3.5lb)
1/2 C +1 Tbl (9 Tbl total) lemon juice
2 1/4 C sugar









Bring kiwi berry and water to a boil, turn down to medium low and simmer for 20 mins. Puree with an immersion blender and add sugar and lemon juice. Continue to simmer for 1 hr 30 mins. Stir often or the bottom will burn. You can try to rush it at higher heat but you'll probly burn it, so dont get greedy. Perhaps if you dont add quite as much water at the start, you can shave some time off the cook down but it really isnt much water for how much fruit is there...























Testing if it is properly gelled up can be a tricky thing because its gonna be really liquidy while its hot no matter what. So do this: puut a spoonful of jam on a plate. Put the plate in the freezer for 5 minutes or so. That isnt enough time to freeze it but it will cool down that small amount sufficiently. Take the plate out of the freezer. Run your finger through the jammy blob. Eat it. If the jam stays parted without weeping liquid into the center, it is set. If it weeps, keep on cookin' and stirrin'!

Sterilize jars and caps. Water bathe for 15 minutes. Take out and make sure all the lids pop. Eat fancy toast until you run out. 

This recipe turns out a lovely sweet tart finished product. you could probably add more sugar without destroying it but I find it pleasantly tart and still a little sweet at this level. It is more tart than most store bought jams though.

Blueberry Jam

Growing up, my father would make tons of raspberry jelly every year. Family and friends all came to expect a jar every Christmas. My parents had a big raspberry patch and we would all help pick them. My dad would squeeze them all down through jelly bags to get their juice, then cook it on the stove with sugar and pectin. Most fruits contain some amount of pectin but it is extracted from apples to be sold commercially for things like setting jelly.It has somewhat similar properties to gelatin but is made from fruit rather than animal bones.

People often use the terms "jam" and "jelly" interchangeably but they are distinctly different. Jelly, as stated above, is fruit juice that is sweetened and thickened. Jam, is made from the whole fruit cooked down until thick. It is still sweetened. Preserves are the same as jam but have noticeable chunks of fruit in the mix as well.

Blueberry jam is slowly becoming my yearly tradition although I am not yet growing the blueberries. Last year I went to New Jersey and picked them myself. This year I was blessed with quite a lot of blueberries that needed to be used up at once. Now it should be stated that I like jelly just fine but it always seemed like a lot of extra work to me. You can achieve a certain jelled, smooth texture that is just not possible in making jam, even when it is well pureed but you also loose some fiber in removing all the skin and seeds of the fruit. I mostly make jam out of laziness and lack of concern for perfect texture. Its sweet and fruity and spreadable and I'm happy.

Last year I only ended up making about 3 jars of jam. I had cooked it down so far that it is incredibly concentrated and wonderful. It is not necessary to go that far, however. What I learned on repeating my efforts this year, was that it needn't be the texture and thickness I desired while still hot on the stovetop. It thickens up considerably while it cools. A test I saw somewhere on the internet was to take a spoonful and plop it on a plate, put it in the freezer for 3 mins (so the jam becomes room temperature quickly), then take a spoonful and plop it on a plate again. If it holds a domed shape it has become thick enough and if it spreads out then it still needs to cook more.

Blueberry Basil Jam

(recipe doubled from put em up)

16 C blueberries
1/2 C lemon juice
4 C sugar
1/2 C basil

(That quantity of basil is for half the batch. I packed up half the jars as plain blueberry jam, then added basil to the remainder)  
Boil blueberries with a splash of water.
Mash and stir for 5 minutes.
Add sugar and stir until dissolved.
Add lemon juice.
Cook at a steady boil, stirring frequently.
Let rest for 5 minutes, stir, then pack in cans.


See above notes for a good way to test when its done. I ended up cooking for about an hour and a half. I did not puree but you can if you prefer a completely smooth jam. Mine is a little lumpy and Im fine with that. The longer you cook it, the less you'll end up with but the more firm and intensely flavored it will be

The basil sounds a bit unusual but really is quite nice. Doing a half batch "normal" is a nice way to see the subtle difference that a fresh herb can add to jams.It makes for a more unique peanut butter and jelly or a more unique gift.