Jostaberries

They look a lot like Black Currants, but they're not. Jostaberries are a cross between Black Currants and Gooseberries and grow wonderfully in the damper spots of northwest Oklahoma. They're sweet, tasty and cook very nicely.

My mom and I picked a bunch of them to can, dry, make conserve with and make a pie. The conserve didn't make it to being canned, as it got eaten way too quickly. For dehydrating, I blanched them and just poured them on the trays and popped them in the dehydrator. They worked out nicely. We put them in some granola bars to eat on the way back from Oklahoma to Louisiana.

One thing that I couldn't find anywhere definitive was about those funny stem-like things from the flower end. I didn't worry about cutting them off. They don't mess with the texture or flavor in the food.

Jostaberry Conserve
2 quarts jostaberries
1/2 pound raisins
1 C diced orange (no peel)
1/2 C chopped pecans
6 C white sugar

Cover berries with cold water and bring to a boil. Cook until berries are soft. Add sugar, orange, raisins and simmer until thick. Add nuts. Cook 5 more minutes.

(Josta)Berry Pie
Pastry for 2 crust pie
3 C jostaberries
1 C chopped pecans
2-4 T water
1 C sugar
3 T cornstarch
1T lemon juice
1/4-1/2 t cinnamon
1 1/2 T butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line 9" pie plate with pastry. Combine sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and cinnamon. Mix lightly through berries, pecans and water. Pour into pie plate. Dot with butter. Cover with crust top. Slit top. Bake until crust is nicely browned and juice bubbles through slits in crust (~35-45 minutes).

You can also use this recipe for mulberry pie, just switch out the jostaberries. If you don't have pecans, leave them out and add in another cup of berries.