Fresh-from-the-field Blueberry jam

Forget about strawberry jam – I’m a blueberry jam fan all the way. And there is nothing better than homemade blueberry jam – even better when you have blueberries on hand that have been fresh-picked from the field just hours before.

Having discovered this past spring that we have blueberry fields not 30 minutes from our house where one can pick or buy freshly picked berries (from the nice folks at Makewood Plantation), of course I had to stock up, and make a batch of blueberry jam for eating with my favorite scones.

I’ve adapted slightly a blueberry jam recipe I found at Taste of Home for a jam that is packed with blueberry flavor, nice chunks of blueberry, and not overly sweet. This is the kind you either have to refrigerate or freeze, if you don’t seal them via the usual canning/jamming methods.

Field-fresh Blueberry jam

Servings: na
Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

8 c. fresh blueberries
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 package (1-3/4 oz.) powdered fruit pectin
4 c. sugar (note that the original recipe calls for 7 cups of sugar; however, I found 4 cups was enough and then the flavor is more berry and less just pure sweet)

Directions

Put the blueberries in a large pot that will go on the stove (a Dutch oven will do). Mash them enough, but not too much, if you want to have some nice chunks of blueberry in your jam.

Stir in first the lemon juice, then the pectin and bring to a boil, all the while stirring constantly.

Once it’s reached boiling point, add the sugar and bring it back to a boil for another minute. Take off the heat and skim off any foam that may have formed on the top.

Then simply ladle into whatever jars or containers you plan to use. Make sure you let them sit out to get back to room temperature before covering, as well as at least another 8 hours, or until they’re set.

For me this made about 6 small Ball jars of jam seen in the pictures. You can keep in the fridge for several weeks, or in the freezer for longer (up to a year).

The only next step is – Enjoy!! Try it on toast, pancakes or, as I like to do – on your blueberry scone to really get your blueberry fix on. (P.S. my favorite blueberry scone recipe is found here.)