Versatile, elegant, and bursting with berry flavor. In our family, we use a blend of raspberries and marionberries from the vines in our garden. Wild blackberries are also popular in the Pacific Northwest. Put up the juice in pretty Weck bottles and for a very festive presentation, wrap the bottle tops in brown paper and tie with hang tags.

In a large saucepan heat 6 pints berries, fresh or frozen, and 2 cups water until berries burst. Strain berries through a cheesecloth. Mix 4 cups of this juice with 1-1/2 cups sugar, heat until sugar dissolves. Pour, hot, into sterilized jars or bottles, secure tops, and process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

To serve as sauce:
Pour straight from the bottle over ice cream, warm vanilla pudding, fudge cake or pancakes. Or, for a very elegant dessert, serve a delicate wedge of almond cake or 3 profiteroles (small cream puffs filled with vanilla ice cream) on a pool of berry sauce.

To serve as juice:
Mix 1 cup berry sauce with 2 cups water. Serve in stem glasses. For a summer dessert, float a small scoop of vanilla ice cream in the glass.

European juice bottles for home canning can be obtained online from Weck Jars. Kerr canning jars can be found at most grocery stores.

"My 11-year-old son Nick is crazy about this sauce... he loves it over ice cream but especially over warm rice for breakfast."
-- Jeanne Williamson