Blueberry Jam I Am

Blueberry Jam
From Preserve It!

Printable Recipe

Hands on time: 40 minutes (Ruth’s note: given it was our first time making jam, it took us longer…I suppose the lifting the cover every 2 minutes to see if the water was boiling, didn’t help. Remember the adage “a watched pot never boils”? If this is your first jam making experience, give yourself lots of time with few distractions…like toddlers & husbands)

Cooking time: 30 minutes (we used a burner that was much smaller than the pot, so it took twice as long to get the consistency, next time will be better)

Sterilizing the jars: boiling the water plus 5 minutes of rapid boiling to sterilize

Boiling water bath: 5 minutes

Resting time: 24 hours

Makes: (Ruth’s note: the book says 2lb of fresh berries yields 1lb/450g or 2 small jars. We doubled the recipe and filled 8 (250ml/8oz) jars )

Ingredients: (for a single batch)
2lb/900g fresh blueberries
2/3 cup water
Juice of 2 lemons (we added zest of ½ lemon)
3 ½ cups granulated sugar

Directions:
1. Put blueberries, water, lemon juice & zest in a large heavy bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes to extract the natural pectin and soften the berries. Test for softness, if needed add more time before the next step.

2. Add the sugar and stir until it dissolves. Increase heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Boil rapidly for 10-12 minutes or until it reaches the setting point. Take the pan off the heat while you test for the set. (Ruth’s note: See basic jam making tutorial. To be accurate, you should start testing when the jam reaches 220°F/105°C and thickens around the sides of the pan, boils sluggishly and the bubbles “plop” rather than froth. We, of course, stirred too often, forgot to test the temperature and still, it came out perfectly just by taking a spoonful out of the pot, allowing it to cool for a minute or so and when it thickened a lot but was still pourable, we stopped cooking.)

3. With the pan still off the heat, use a large slotted spoon to skim any surface residue off the jam. Leave the jam in the pan to cool slightly and then ladle into warm sterilized mason jars (see basic jam making to learn how to sterilize). Leave ¼”/5mm headspace.

4. Process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes.

5. Let rest for 24 hours without touching the jars.
Test for seal (See basic jam making tutorial). Store in a cool dark place and refrigerate after opening.

Great with cream cheese on toast

Awesome as a glaze on grilled or roasted chicken or salmon.