I think Lynn has decided since I successfully made pomegranate jelly twice that I can now make any kind of jelly or jam. One of her favorites that we have bought at two different small stands is blueberry jam.
One of our local grocery stores had blueberries on sale for $.97 for 6 ounces. I was given the instructions to buy blueberries and make a batch of jam with them.
I had a hard time finding a recipe to use to make this jam. Most of the recipes I found were for freezer jams. I saw a few that did not use pectin. I finally decided to use a slightly modified recipe from a book called Food in Jars: Preserving in Small Batches Year-Round. It is a great resource for the beginner canner.
First I measured my spices and put them in little bowls. I wanted to make sure I would have everything prepared so I wouldn’t overcook the jam while measuring those things out. Also it reminds me of cooking shows on TV where they always have all the herbs and spices measured out and sitting on the counter.
I measured out 3 quarts of blueberries. That was about 62 of the 66 ounces that I bought.
Next I mashed my blueberries. I used a potato masher rather than a blender or food processor. I also left it coarsely mashed with some whole berries. That is just a personal preference for us. The blueberries do need to be mashed at least a little to have juice to work with, otherwise you may burn your sugar.
If you are going to be canning your jam, this is a good time to get your jars ready. Boil a large pot of water put the jars and lids in the boiling water to sterilize them.
Put the smashed blueberries and sugar into a large pot and bring to a boil. Add the lemon, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes until thickened, stirring frequently. Add the pectin and return to a rolling boil for 5 minutes.
Homemade Blueberry Jam
Ingredients
- 3 qt blueberries
- 4 cup sugar
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 4 ½ tbsp less-sugar pectin
Instructions
- Combine smashed blueberries and sugar in large pot. Bring to a boil.
- Add the lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened.
- Remove from heat.
- Add the jam to the jars.
- Can the jam using your water bath for 10 minutes.
Remove the pot from heat and put the jam into your prepared jars. Process the jars of jam in your water bath for 10 minutes.
I wasn’t sure how this would taste with the cinnamon and nutmeg. Lynn said it tastes like Christmas and I think she is probably right. Blueberries sometimes can be a little tasteless on their own so the spices are probably necessary to give added flavor.
This is a really tasty blueberry jam. So far we have had it on waffles, rolls, and cheesecake. I don’t think the 4 pints will last long.
-Joshua
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