Chokecherry Jam
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Quick Bite
Chokecherry jam is a sweet-tart Wyoming preserve made from wild chokecherries, a small native fruit with bold flavor and a stubborn name. It is deep red, old-fashioned, and perfect on toast, biscuits, pancakes, or anything that needs a little prairie berry attitude.
History
Chokecherries grow wild across much of the American West, including Wyoming, where they have long been part of local food traditions. The fruit is small, dark, and tart, with a puckery bite that explains the “choke” part of the name. Eaten raw, they can be intense. Cooked into jam, jelly, or syrup, they turn into something wonderfully bright and fruity.
Long before chokecherry jam appeared in gift shops and farmers markets, chokecherries were important to Indigenous peoples of the Plains and Rocky Mountain regions. The fruit could be dried, pounded, cooked, or mixed with meat and fat in traditional foods. Later, settlers and ranch families also used chokecherries for syrups, wines, jams, and jellies because they were abundant, flavorful, and free for the picking if you knew where to look.
In Wyoming, chokecherry jam feels especially tied to rural kitchens, home canning, county fairs, roadside shops, and family recipes. It is one of those foods that tastes like someone went out, picked the fruit, stained their fingers, and spent the afternoon turning a wild harvest into jars.
A good chokecherry jam should balance tartness and sweetness. Too much sugar hides the fruit, but too little leaves it harsh. The best versions taste wild, tangy, and a little floral, with enough personality to stand up to buttered bread or a hot biscuit.
Fun Facts
- Chokecherries are native to Wyoming and much of the West.
- The fruit is very tart raw but excellent in jam, jelly, and syrup.
- Chokecherry pits, leaves, and stems should not be eaten; the cooked, strained fruit pulp or juice is what belongs in jam.
Where to Try
A Wyoming jam maker known for homemade jams and chokecherry products, with retail availability through Wyoming specialty-food outlets.
A Wyoming specialty-food company that has carried Baer’s Pantry chokecherry jam made in Carpenter, Wyoming.
Wyoming-made chokecherry jam often appears in local gift shops and specialty-food displays, especially where regional food souvenirs are sold.
About the Game
This recipe is part of Van Life Challenge, a travel-themed board game from Gray Dog Games where players explore the United States, discover regional foods, and collect memorable experiences along the way.
Each featured food celebrates a real place, a local flavor, and the kind of delicious roadside discovery that makes every trip feel like an adventure.
Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- Clean the fruit: Rinse the chokecherries well and remove stems and leaves.
- Simmer: Place the fruit in a pot with just enough water to cover.
- Cook the berries: Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, until the berries soften and release their juice.
- Mash gently: Mash gently, then strain through a jelly bag, cheesecloth, or fine sieve. Do not crush the pits into the juice.
- Measure: Measure 4 cups of chokecherry juice or strained pulp.
- Start the jam: Combine chokecherry juice, lemon juice, pectin, and butter if using in a large pot.
- Boil: Bring to a full rolling boil.
- Add sugar: Stir in sugar all at once.
- Boil hard: Return to a rolling boil and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Jar: Ladle into sterilized jars.
- Process or refrigerate: Process in a water bath according to safe canning guidelines for your altitude, or refrigerate and use within a few weeks.
