Blueberry Jam

This is where it all began. Two years ago, Dan and I went blueberry picking with some friends, and I had a lot of blueberries, and didn't know what to do with them. So I decided to make jam. And now I'm to the point where I've made over 50 jars of jam...just this year. I think this might be the last (unless I get my hands on some blackberries). It's still one of our favorites. This year was a little different because of the Dutch Jell Lite pectin that I'm using, but it still came out delicious. I even made a spiced version with cinnamon added, which I plan to give away as gifts (we'll see, Dan likes to hold the jars captive and not share). I looked at a whole bunch of recipes and came up with this one. They all seemed to call for the same amount of blueberries and lemon juice.

Blueberry Jam
Makes about 6 half pints

4 1/2 cups of crushed blueberries (People say this is about 1 1/2 quarts)
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/3 cup Dutch Jell Lite pectin
2 1/2 cups of sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

1. Prepare canner, jars, and lids.

2. Wash blueberries. Unless you know they come from a no-spray source, make sure you wash them. And make sure to pick all those little stems out. I've eaten one in jam before, and it wasn't the end of the world, but it also wasn't what I wanted in my jam.

3. Crush blueberries. I use a 13x9 glass dish, putting a single layer of berries in it, then use a potato masher. Make sure you aren't wearing clothing you care about, because they like to squirt. At first, I slowly mash the berries, pushing down firmly. Once most of the berries are mashed, then I pick up the pace and beat them to pulp! I find if you try to mash quick at first, the berries just run all over the pan, or they tend to shoot out of it. Once all the berries are mashed, dump the pulp into a measuring cup and repeat the process until you have 4 1/2 cups.

4. Measure out sugar. Since the sugar needs to be added all at once, you need to pre-measure the sugar into a separate bowl before you start cooking the jam.

5. Add berries, lemon juice, pectin, and cinnamon, if using, into a large pot. (I'm very much aware this is not stainless steel, but I can't afford one right now!) Heat over high heat until you've reached a rapid boil (a boil that when stirring, it is still bubbling furiously). Add the sugar all at once. Stir constantly. Once is come to a rapid boil again, keep stirring and boiling for 1 minute. After 1 minute, turn the heat off.

6. Fill the jars, leaving 1/8" headspace. This is where I've learned that a jar funnel is your best friend. And you MUST have a very good ladle. I melted a ladle with my first batch of jam because it was a cheesy plastic. I currently have a heavier plastic ladle and it works fabulous. I usually also make sure the jar and pot are as close as possible (most of the time, I have the funnel touching the pot). This will eliminate the jam dripping everywhere. Also, make sure you have an old kitchen towel under the jars, because there will be drips, and there will be stains. I recommend using a rubber spatula to get all the last bits off the bottom of the pan. After the last jar is filled, make sure you lick everything that has jam on it. You don't want it going to waste! (Just make sure it's not hot!)

7.  Wipe rims with a damp cloth/paper towel. Place heated lid on, screw ring to fingertip tight.

8. Place jars in the water bath canner, cover. Once the water starts boiling, set the timer for 10 minutes. After the time is up, cut the heat, take the lid off, and let them sit for 5 more minutes. After 5 minutes, take the jars out and set on a dish towel (I usually fold mine in half to make sure I don't melt the counter!) on the counter where they won't be disturbed for 24 hours (I've moved mine before 24 hours, but I always let them sit over night).

9. EAT! Or store them in a cool place out of sunlight for up to a year (I have some that are over a year old, but they are getting eaten before the new stuff!).


*Notes: The pectin I'm using doesn't require sugar to jell, so I decreased the amount of sugar. If you're using regular pectin, the recipes I saw called for 4 cups of sugar, and you can't decrease that or your jam won't jell. I recommend just following the recipe that came with the pectin, that's what I did before this year. Although, I always found that blueberry jelled REALLY well (probably due to the high pectin content of the berries). You'll also need to prepare more jars because the added sugars increasing the volume of the jam.