Simple and Sweet Blueberry Jam
Naturally sweetened with raw honey, it’s a simple solution for sweetening up this blue beauty.
I’ve been picking blueberries since I was tall enough to reach a blueberry bush. For nearly 30 years, all I have are fond memories, specifically of my maternal grandfather. Getting up on a muggy July morning to forage for wild blueberries and watching the sunrise with my Pappy, as a small child nothing could have been better. We would always start just before sunrise in order to beat the sweltering heat of July.
I would be given a makeshift bucket constructed from a tin coffee can and some rope. I would go where I was told to pick, always in a patch of bushes that my Pappy would find for me. There in those brushy patches, I would learn valuable lessons on what to look for in a good blueberry, how to properly pick blueberries and of course how to safely hike through the various patches. Always being told to look out for those dreaded Copperheads and how to spot one before it spotted you. At the time it seemed that his yammering were just words and I would always think to myself, “when will I use this useless information, I’m not doing this when I get older.” But now I realize they were words of wisdom and I hear my Pappy’s words every time I pick blueberries. I didn’t know it at the time but we were creating precious memories that would last a lifetime.
Now that I’m grown up and with the passing of my Pappy, I try to keep his memory alive by continuing the tradition of picking your own blueberries during these hot summer months. It's a way of keeping him close not to mention it’s a pretty good workout as well. But instead of foraging for wild berries I’m taking the easy road and picking them from a local farm. So instead of watching for those venomous Copperheads I can just focus on those beautiful blueberries. The taste is a tad different but they are still very delicious and they make great jam to boot!
So let’s grab our buckets, pick some blueberries and make some delicious jam!
Blueberry Jam
*Makes about 8 half pint jars
4 quarts or 16 cups of fresh blueberries
2 cups of raw honey
¼ tsp kosher salt
Juice from 1 lemon
Before preparing your berries, you need to sterilize your jars that will be storing your jam. You can follow the sterilization method described in my Pleasantly Tart Raspberry Jam recipe. No matter what jam you make, jar sterilization never changes.
Sort through your berries, if you picked them yourself, to ensure no under ripe and bad berries, as well as twigs and stems. Trust me blueberries can be sneaky! Many a time I’ve found all these things in my berry bucket, no matter how careful you are they can make it into your stash. Please check carefully and thoroughly, your jam will thank you.
Wash the berries in a colander with cool water, let the excess water drain off.
Combine all ingredients together in a large pot (when juicing the lemon be careful not to get any seeds into the jam). Mix until the honey has completely coated the berries. Place your pot on the stove and turn it up to medium high heat. Leave the fruit until the berries start to burst and the liquid starts to boil, stirring occasionally. When it begins to boil, turn the jam down to medium to medium low heat and gently boil. While the jam is boiling place a couple of spoons into the freezer, these will be your tools to check to see when the jam is set.
When boiling your jam, you may notice foam bubbling up to the surface. That is completely normal. I typically skim the foam off the top of the jam. Some people throw out the foam but I like to keep it off to the side and have a snack. It sounds gross, I know, but it is a real treat for the jam maker. Don’t knock it until you try it, especially on crackers!
As the jam cooks you will notice that it will start to thicken. When the thickening starts, it’s time to start testing it with your frozen spoons. When you are ready to test your delicious jam, take it off the heat and dunk the tip of the spoon into your jam. If the jam is set you will be able to wipe a clean line through the jam. If you think it’s still too thin and not to your personal preference, place the pot back on the heat and continue to boil for another 15-20 minutes. After that time repeat the jam testing until you have reached your desired consistency.
After your beautiful jam is set, it’s time to jar it. Using a ladle, spoon your hot jam directly into your jars. Place your lids on your jars and fasten the lid ring tightly, grip the hot jar with a towel when you’re fastening the ring (trust me it gets really hot). Once your lids are nice and tight, layer two kitchen towels on top of the jar in order to encase the jars in the towels. The towels will insulate the heat until the lid of the jar becomes warm, leave towels on the jars for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the towels and let the jars cool at room temperature. As the jars cool the lids will make a popping sound, this is the sweet sound of the jars sealing. When you are waiting for the jars to cool please resist the urge to touch the lids, if you play with the lid they are more likely to fail and not seal!
After a few hours of letting the jars cool, touch the glass of the jar to see how cool it is and if it’s cool to the touch you can now touch the lid. If the lid makes a popping sound when touched and bounces that means the jar didn’t seal. If the jar is quiet and firm, congratulations you successfully jarred your jam!
Once you have successfully jarred your jam you can store it in your pantry cupboard or if you have a cellar, anywhere that is cool and dark will be acceptable. Now you can just sit back and enjoy!
*Note: You can also choose not to seal the jars of jam. If you want it for just the season you can keep it in containers such as Tupperware or glass jars that you would like to reuse. The jam will keep for about three months in the fridge when it’s not processed.*
* If you don’t like an overly chunky blueberry jam you can always mash up the berries before boiling your jam to make it a slightly smoother consistency.*