BLUEBERRY JAM: ALL TIME FAVORITE!

This year I am making a blueberry jam post because I forgot last year. I also use my own posts for recipes or just to get an understanding when we did things in the past year or two. Last year we made quite a bit of jam from the 60 lbs of berries we picked on evening in less than an hour with just my lovely wife and I. The recipe that I used last year called for squeezing the boiled jam in a cheese cloth  to give it a more preserve texture. The downside to that process is that its very messy and labor intensive taking a lot of time over a two day period. The blueberry preserve came out really nice and because we had squeezed some much juice we actually bottled it up and used it as blueberry syrup on pancakes and waffles. We finished our last jar of jam this summer and it was still very delicious. 

A week ago we went out to our favorite patch in Central Square, Stan's Berry Patch. We have gone there for many years, even before we were married. The things that attract us to this particular location are: clean low cut grass all around the bushes, consistently good berries, consistent prices, and the 10% coupon/postcard you get in the mail when you sign up the first time. 

With both kids picking with us this year I was worried that we wouldn't be able to pick quickly or they will complain and want to leave before the quota, 60 lbs. But to my wonderful surprise, both of them did really well partly to the fact that Stan (the owner) and his wife were picking a few bushes down the row and the kids would chit chat with them throughout the picking process. Alexis picked half a bucket herself this year and that was well done. In fact she picks well like her mother, Lesya, choosing the large and perfect ones. 

Adrian did a lot of picking into this internal bucket. The kid had blueberry BM's for 2 days. But at the end of that day he was a happy kid. 

This year we fell 5 lbs under the quota but it was plenty of berries. We picked 55 lbs in 1.5 hrs. I picked 4.5 buckets and Lesya 1.5 buckets. I just grab the two bottom drawers in our fridge and use them to hold the berries. Then once at home, just slide them in, and they are stored temporarily. 

JAM RECIPE

 I modified it enough to call it my own this year and its a combo or recipes from online sources.

10 cups of fresh blueberries (each cup was slightly more)
6 cups white granulated sugar
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
2 tablespoons of lemon juice

dutch oven pot large enough to hold everything

We wash all of our fruits and veggies in Young Living Fruit & Vegetable Soak. It has a thieves essential oil base ingredient and it does a great job taking of the chemicals and waxes sprayed on the berries by the farmers to prevent bug infestation during the growing process.

This year I made 4 servings of jam. One of the four was a little different. Instead of mashing the berries with a potato masher I blended them up in Ninja Blender. I liked the mashed one much because it wasn't as runny. 

Blended berries

After adding the sugar and salt, turn the stove to medium high. Turn a timer to 60 minutes. As the sugar absorb the juices, stir it well until well distributed. Cover with lid until it comes to a gentle simmer. Add the lemon juice and turn down the stove to medium. At this point you will probably have another 45 minutes of cooking time. During this time it's really important to stir every 5 minutes so prevent burning berries on the sides. 

At the 20 minute mark, check the "runniness" of the jam. After doing this 4 times, it's still too runny at this point. Continue to cook. 

At the 0 mark, add another 20 minutes. It's a also a great time to sterilize your jars and get ready to fill them. My sterilization process that I learned from my wife who in turn learned from her mother has been really good to us over the past 2 years of canning. 

STERILIZATION

My favorite size is the pint Mason jars. For the above recipe, you will need 4 jars. There will be a couple tablespoons left over for you to enjoy later when it cools. 

Wash the jars and lids in warm soapy water. Place in the drying rack for a few minutes or you can skip the drying rack and place them directly into the oven. Once in the oven, jars and lids, turn the oven to 200 degrees. Cook for 20 minutes. 

Both will finish at the same time at 80 minutes. I like to take one jar and lid out of the oven at a time, fill it, close the lid and set it aside. I allow 12 hrs or so of cooling before storing them. The nice thing about this canning process is that the jars seal because of the heat and don't need an addition hot water bath. Last year this process preserved our jam for a little over a year. On the other hand, we store all of our canned jams in the extra refrigerator that we have because we like all of the jams and beans cold when we open to eat them. 

Don't forget labels after the jars cool

While I made jam, my lovely wife made another blueberry favorite, pirogies filled with blueberries. The recipe can be found at natashaskitchen.com.