Yes, I know everyone in blogland seems to be making strawberry jam. And yes, I made my strawberry jam already this year. I even tried it without pectin, too! A first for me, and then it turned out to be HARD as a rock…think hard caramels that pull out your teeth. But, no fear I did it again with more strawberries and now I have nice soft-set jam. :)
But, I think it’s time we think outside of the jelly jar and make something besides strawberry jam! Who’s with me? (please, tell me that’s not crickets I hear!) I made me some blueberry jam and I think you should try it, too. How’s that for bossiness?
First you need to get all your “stuff” ready. Sterilize 6 pt jars and their rings and then I like to keep them in hot water until they’re ready to be used in my kitchen sink along with the lids. Get a big pot of hot water a’boiling. Make sure the water is deep enough to have 1 inch of water overtop the jars.
Take 3 pts of fresh picked blueberries, give them a nice shower and make sure to remove all the little stems. Otherwise you might find a surprise one morning eating your bread and jam. (I LOVE that book!)
Using a handy potato masher, squish up your blueberries inside a pot until there nice and smooshy. Don’t turn it into juice though, we want to keep some bits of blueberries. That’s what makes it jam after all.
Combine those crushed blueberries, a little pat of butter (to reduce foaming), and a box of pectin in a large pot on the stove, bring to a hard rolling boil while you stir constantly. You can also stir in a little cinnamon. So delicious that way, but unfortunately I forgot this time. Oh well, next year!
Stir in 4 cups of sugar, you can also use honey I just haven’t tried it yet. While stirring the whole time, bring the jam back to a full rolling boil and boil for exactly one minute. You can test your jam by placing a bit on a plate and placing it in the freezer. After a couple of minutes, check it and see if it’s “jammy” enough for you. Make sure, though, that you remove your jam from the heat during testing.Oh so carefully, pour your jam into your jars leaving 1/8 in headroom, or space at the top. Wipe your jars clean, add a lid and then a band. Once you fill all your jars, carefully lower them into the boiling water. Bring back to a boil and process for about 10 minutes. Remove jars and place towels underneath and on top of your jars so they don’t crack in the cool air conditioning of your home. Then listen for the poppity-pops of the lids telling you their being sealed. Once they’re cool, you can press down on the center of the lid to make sure they don’t bounce back. Love the sound of jars popping!
