*Innkeeper’s note – The following recipe makes enough for canning 10 half pints and is so gorgeous, I almost hate to eat it!
- 4 pints fresh Blueberries
- zest and juice of 2 Lemons
- 7 cups Sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Butter, to reduce foaming (optional)
- 2 pouches Liquid Fruit Pectin (6 ounces total)
*Do not double this recipe…I don’t know why, but it will fail. If Irma Rombauer says, “Don’t double,” then I won’t even try.
*Fresh-picked blueberries, with some of the berries not totally ripe, will make the best jam. If you are able to pick your own berries and make this jam immediately, it will be worth it. My blueberries are growing right outside my kitchen window, so they are very fresh.
Assembly
Put half of the berries in an enamel or stainless cooking pot and crush the berries, making juice. Stir in the remaining berries, add the lemon zest and lemon juice. Add the sugar and butter and bring all to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.
Pay careful attention to the pot–it will boil over in a heartbeat, and you don’t know what a mess is until you boil over blueberry jam!
While the berries are seriously boiling, quickly add the fruit pectin and stir for exactly one minute. Remove from heat and put in sterilized jars, following canning directions.
Yield: 10 half pints plus a wee jar for tasting.
