Has anyone ever made anything they really like out of crowberries (Empetrum nigrum)?

No, but I read somewhere that crowberry jelly was better than blueberry jelly and then I found a recipe for it.

http://www.darleneskitchenpantry.com/archive0203.pl?frames=n;read=19510

And… this looks interesting: http://icecook.blogspot.com/2009/07/crowberry-soup.html. It’s crowberry soup.

My inner botanist is very happy that you included the scientific name in the question. :)

I didn’t make it myself, but I’ve had a crowberry pie, which was excellent. I’m not sure of the recipe, but I do know that they were sun-dried for several hours prior to being used in the pie. Whether it was the combination of drying or cooking, I’m not sure, but it made them taste much sweeter than usual.

“In subarctic areas, crowberry has been a vital addition to the diet of the Inuit and the Sami. After waning popularity, the crowberry is again regaining its reputation as an edible berry. It gives a steady crop and the gathering is relatively easy.

The raw berries are mealy and tasteless. The Inuit and Native Americans mix them with other berries, especially the blueberry. Cooking enhances the flavor. They make good pie and jelly.

The high concentration of anthocyanin pigment can be used as a natural food dye.”

Source

@jeffgoldblumsprivatefacilities I know that the berry can be called many things and I had to look the botanical name up to get the English word for it because if I used the Norwegian word, no one would know what I was talking about. ;o)

@iWitch Thanks for the recipe links! I’m going to try the jam, for sure.

I’ve had good success making berry jam using Ball no-sugar-needed pectin and using just a couple of tbs of sugar. I just don’t like things very sweet, and with fresh berries, didn’t want to overpower the flavor of them. Something you might be interested in if you aren’t big on sugar. I’ve also added vanilla extract, which I liked.

@lilikoi the problem with crowberries is that they don’t have much water, sweetness or flavour. They’re sort of used as a ‘stretcher berry’ to make more of the tasty ones. I’m going to use some bought black berries or black currants with it in jam, I think.

I’m trying to talk hubby into taking us to the cabin again this Wednesday and perhaps by that time, the cloud berries (Rubus chamaemorus) will be more abundant and we can pick enough for a Jule dessert. We discovered that pouring a little single malt whiskey on these berries really brings out their taste. (not for the kiddies, though)