Sunday Fun: Blueberry Jam

I like making my own gifts. Not because I’m cheap, but because I feel that something made is inherently more special than that which is mass-produced. Each summer I make a variety of food gifts — canned or preserved nummies that have been very well received by others.

This week, I made Blueberry-Lemon Jam. (Recipe is at the end.)

Here’s the ingredients.

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Of course, the most important ingredient are the blueberries.

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The recipe, as with most canning recipes, is incredibly simple. Wash your fruit. Put in a big pot. Add sugar and spices. Cook.

Here it is at the beginning.

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The berries cook for awhile and start to thicken. You can tell when its getting towards the boiling point — the berries get very dark purple, almost black.

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Finally, it reaches a boil.

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You don’t want to boil the berries hard, so keep it at a high simmer. The bright purple foam will go away (although sometimes you have to skim it off) and the berries get very thick.

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You can see from the sides of the pot that the mixture has really cooked down.

Now, just pour into hot sterilized jars.

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Process in a hot water bath for the recommended time.

Enjoy!

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Recipe is here.

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