When it comes to canning, blueberries were my gateway fruit (although they didn’t usher me through the doorway into the realm of canning preoccupation until I reached adulthood). Growing up, I’d often pick them with my family, but I always left the jam-making and canning to my mom, participating only when it came time to squish the berries into jammable shape with my fingers (there’s something so deeply satisfying about crushing those juicy little blue orbs into pulpy bits).
However, one fateful July day during the summer of 2007, my friend Seth and I decided to go blueberry picking and everything changed. That summer, I was in grad school and he was unemployed, so we both had free time on our hands. It was the first time I had gone berry picking without parents, a sibling or babysitting charges that needed to be entertained. We spent at least two hours out in the blueberry field, filling up our buckets and eating until our fingers were stained blue and our stomachs were ready to burst with fruit.
Later that day, when I was home alone with my berries, I did the thing that was innate. I called my mom for canning advice, ran across the street to the hardware store for some jars and pectin and made my first solo batch of jam. Thinking back on it now, it’s hard to imagine a time when I had so little canning experience, when I hovered anxiously over my filled jars, praying for them to seal (admittedly, there are times when I still check and recheck freshly processed jars, only able to relax when they ring out a ping of sealed success).
Since then, I have made at least 100 batches of jams, marmalades, fruit butters, chutneys and pickles. However, blueberry jam will always feel familiar, foundational and necessary in a way that no other fruit can match. Summer doesn’t feel complete without at least one blueberry picking trip and a batch of homemade blueberry jam cooling on the kitchen counter.
We’re heading into the end of blueberry picking season here in the mid-Atlantic region, but there are still to be found if you look (as a side note, if you’re interested in the history of cultivated blueberries, check out this interesting little article). You can also get them at the grocery store for relatively cheap prices, if you don’t have any u-pick farms in your area.
For those of you who want skip out on making your own batch of blueberry jam (or just need a little delicious inspiration), I have one half pint jar of this jam to give away. Leave a comment on this post in order to enter. I’ll close the giveaway on Friday (August 7th) at 5 p.m. eastern time. Good luck!
And on to the recipe…
Ingredients
- 6 cups of smashed blueberries (you’ll need 8-10 cups of unsquashed berries to equal this amount)
- 6 cups sugar
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- two packets liquid pectin
Instructions
- Fill your canning pot with water and begin to bring it to temperature. Wash your jars and rings in warm soapy water and set aside. Put your lids in a small pot of water and heat (but do not boil) in order to soften the sealing compound.
- Add smashed blueberries and sugar to a large, non-reactive pot. Bring to a boil and add cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon zest and juice and let jam continue to cook for about fifteen minutes. Add pectin and bring to a rolling boil for a full five minutes.
- Turn off the heat under the jam and fill jars. Wipe rims and apply lids. Screw on the bands and lower into the water. Process in the hot water bath 10 minutes. When time is up, remove from water and cool on the counter. When the jars are cooled, check the seal by pressing on the top of the jar. If there’s no movement, the jar has sealed. Store up to one year in a cool, dark place.
Eat atop fresh scones or biscuits for maximum enjoyment.
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I love this jam but am wondering is if it is possible to make a Blueberry-Lemon Basil jelly? We have loads of lemon basil growing in our garden and its lemony-lovely flavor is fantastic! Would it work to toss some crushed basil leaves into a batch of blueberries as I am preparing to make the juice for jelly? How much basil would I use?
Lynn, you could certainly infused the basil into blueberries as you prep them for juicing. I wouldn’t add whole basil leaves, as they will turn brown and slimy during cooking. As far as how much to use, that really depends on how strong a flavor it is and how strongly you want it to taste of the lemon basil. Start with some and taste.
Thanks Marisa
I was thinking of adding the basil when I crush & cook down the blueberries for juicing since it all gets strained clear in cheesecloth anyway. If this process won’t work, how would I go about getting that lemon basil flavor into the jelly? Would I need to steep the basil in a little hot water that I would then strain and add to the blueberries as they cooked for extracting the juice? BTW…we have Mrs. Burns Lemon Basil OG growing in the garden, oh my word, superb flavor-best ever lemon basil!
That was a sweet story
and yes there is something special about squishing those little suckers!
This is the first year since moving back to Wisconsin that I have gone blueberry picking. My hubby and I got a little over zealous and picked 30 lbs. Your recipe for the jam is easy and good. I will be making many more batches this year.
I stumbled onto your pages by accident while looking for a new garlic dill pickle recipe for canning. I am delighted to find so many recipes on canning and the memories that go with them. I would love to be the winner of your extra jar of jam. I am going to attempt to make some for the first time ever this year so it’d be great to see how I measure up
Tammy in Maine
Tammy, this post is from 2009, so the giveaway is long since closed.
Hi Marisa,
I’m going blueberry picking on Saturday and would love to try this recipe. Any idea what the approximate yield is? Trying to figure out how much picking I should do
Also wanted to say that many or your recipes have become favorites. In particular we can’t do without your tomato jam to spread on grilled cheese sandwiches during the winter. I also just made a batch of your peach jam with fresh GA peaches. My husband says it tastes like cobbler in a jar.
Thanks,
Katelyn
You should get either 3 or 3 1/2 pints from this recipe. Yields vary a lot, so that’s as specific as I can get!
Marisa, i found this page by accident, i glad i did. we picked blueberries this year and tried to make blueberry jam. the problem is, it never set up. Still thin, any suggestions on how to fix the problem. delicious but thin
thanks
Melissa
Melissa, you should read the following two posts: http://www.foodinjars.com/2010/07/canning-101-how-to-ensure-that-your-jam-sets/ and http://www.foodinjars.com/2011/08/canning-101-how-to-save-runny-jam/
I’ve just lost my canning verginity making this wonderful blueberry jam!!! Looking forward to many more adventures in canning:)
[...] http://www.foodinjars.com/2009/08/blueberry-jam/ [...]
Hi, I was wondering if I could use splenda instead of sugar? would it be the same?
Nope, it wouldn’t be the same at all. Sugar provides a chemical reaction that you don’t get with Splenda. If you want to make a jam sweetened with Splenda, you should get a low sugar pectin, and follow the directions on the packet.
Hi…I wanted to know is there another source of pectin???
hi marisa
just wondered can i use frozen blueberrys i have 3 big bags that i need to do something with wanted to make jam but unsure if it will set or not
Yes, go for it.
The blueberry freezer jam I made using frozen blueberries was too thick to spread nicely. Can I add a bit of water or something else?
Gerri, you can certainly thin it out a little, batch by batch. That’s always a danger with freezer jams.
Hi Marisa,
Does this recipe translate well into freezer jam, using the freezer pectin? Ideally, I’d like to use my frozen berries to make a freezer jam. Do you think I’d need to alter the recipe any other way? Thanks for a great blog – I’m a newbie but will be back for sure!
Katherine, freezer jam is an uncooked jam made using pectin designed to set without cooking. I wrote about blueberry freezer jam here. If you simply want to cook the jam and preserve it by freezing instead of canning, this recipe does work for that.
Thanks Marisa! I’m going to try it out this weekend.
K.