preserves

Blueberry jam is so easy to make, anyone with the patience to stir the pot can do it!

Actually, I was surprised at how little time it took to make blueberry preserves at home. For less than 2 hours in the kitchen you too can make some delicious blueberry preserves.

Here’s how to make Blueberry Jam a step at a time:

1. Buy or pick 2 quarts of blueberries. About 1 1/2 quarts will be used to make the jam.
2. Wash and sterilize 6-7 jelly jars.
3. Place lids in a skillet and pour boiling water over them to sterilize.
4. Fill a large kettle or canner two thirds with water and start to heat on the stove. Cover with lid to retain heat.
5. Have a pot of near boiling water on hand if needed to fill the canner on step #17.
6. Place a large handful of berries in a flat-bottomed bowl and mash with potato masher.
7. Pour mashed berries into measuring cup.
8. Repeat steps #6-7 to get 4 cups mashed blueberries.
9. Pour the mashed berries into a large, deep pot and turn the heat on high.
10. Add one box of powdered pectin. This time we used Sure-Jell, but the brand doesn’t matter.
11. Stir and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil, where the mixture continues to boil even while stirring constantly.
12. Add 4 cups of sugar all at once and stir. Continue to stir and bring mixture to a full rolling boil for one minute. Take off heat.
13. Ladle the jam into the hot jelly jars using a funnel.
14. Wipe the rim of the jar with a damp cloth or paper towel.
15. Assemble the screw-band and lid and place on jar snugly.
16. Place filled jar in canner with jar lifter.
17. Assure that jars are covered with an inch of water and boil for 10 minutes.
18. Turn off heat and remove jars with jar lifter.
19. Place jars on towel on counter where they won’t be disturbed for 24 hours.
20. Test the jar seals the following day by unscrewing the band and pushing on lid with finger. If a jar lid pops, put it in the refrigerator to be eaten first.
21. Place sealed jars in pantry for a winter treat!

Seeing the steps to make jam in a list like this helps to organize the kitchen so everything works out smoothly. It really boils down to just a few steps –

Simple steps for making blueberry preserves –

• mash enough berries to make 4 cups mashed berries
• heat berries and a box of pectin powder in large vessel to boil
• add 4 cups sugar and heat to a full rolling boiling for a minute
• fill sterilized jars with jam and screw on lids
• place filled jars in boiling water bath for 10 minutes
• remove jars and let rest to assure a good seal

For sterilizing the jelly jars we run the jars through a light cycle in the dishwasher just before making the jam. That way the jars will remain nice and hot until we’re ready to fill them.

The best part of making jam is trying out the yummy stuff on a piece of toast or slice of bread. Corn muffins are great with blueberry jam, too! If you can’t fill that 6th or 7th jar, refrigerate the remainder in a covered glass or jar and enjoy this week’s treat.