Thursday, August 21, 2008

Homemade Blueberry Jam




I have not made Blueberry Jam for several years, everyone loves the Strawberry so much. I had a special request for Blueberry, so I made 9 jars! I had forgotten it was a bit more difficult than Strawberry. As with the Strawberry Jam I use the inversion method of canning. This is the reduced sugar recipe by the way!

Note: the best way to do this is have everything you need ready to go, including your clean jars, lids pectin, etc.  I sterilize my jars and bands in the dishwasher.  Pour boiling water over your lids as you get closer to needing them and let them sit.  I use tongs to pick them up.
You will need:
 
Pectin, I use Sure Jell For Less or No Sugar Needed Recipe, I use the less sugar recipe (the box is pink)
5 full pints of Blueberries (wash de-stem), equals 7 cups or so
4.5 cups of sugar (if you have amazing berries you can reduce the sugar to 4 cups)
1/2 cup of water

Note: Instead of putting the berries in the food processor, I just mash half and leave the other half whole. It works just fine.
 
Place your clean berries into a large capacity 6-8 quart saucepan, add the 1/2 cup of water
 
Measure out the 4.5 cups of sugar into a bowl
 
Mix the Pectin with 1/4 cup of sugar from your 4.5 cup bowl in a 2nd smaller bowl
 
Add 1/2 tsp Butter to prevent foaming (optional)
 
Add the Pectin/Sugar mixture to your berries and turn the stove on high. 
 
Bring mixture to a full rolling boil (a boil that does not stop even when stirred)  This can take awhile so be patient.
 
Once you have a full rolling boil, add your sugar, stir well,  and wait till you are back to a full rolling boil then set your timer for 1 minute. Stir occasionally.  After 1 minute remove from heat and skim foam if you have any.
 
Ladle quickly into your jars, leave 1/8 inch headspace, add your lid and screw the band tightly.
 
Turn the jar of jam upside down and leave that way for 2 hours.
After 2 hours, you can then turn jars right side up and check for seal by pressing middle of lid with your finger, if the lid springs back, it is not sealed and you will need to refrigerate.

The Jam will last for 1 year unrefrigerated and up to 3 if you refrigerate.

For comparison purposes, regular Jam you get at the grocery store has equal amounts of sugar as it does fruit.

8 comments:

Pam said...

Looks fantastic. The blueberries look big and juicy.

Paula said...

My daughter is a blueberry fanatic! I like how you've only mashed half. I bet this is good on toast, muffins, and ice cream! Pretty jar, too!

Raquel said...

Hmmm. . . You are sending me how many jars?? LOL I love blueberry jam! Alas, DS does not. We did not make any this year. Much love, Raquel XO

Jan said...

Yes, but does it turn your teeth black? Only kidding, it looks and sound fab. Good job, Cheryl.

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