Accidentally Delicious Blueberry Mess

16 Aug 2011 Leave a Comment

by miacupcake in From the Kitchen of Cupcakes, Your mother doesn't work here but I am a good substitute sometimes. Tags: , , , , , , ,

Blueberry

Image via Wikipedia

So I tried to make blueberry jam the other day.

I say “tried”, because I totally forgot about it and it ended up cooking down a whole lot more than I originally anticipated.

But it is freaking delicious. So here’s a recipe for you. This is my first recipe I’ve invented myself, SO BE NICE. If it sucks, tell me. If it’s awesome, tell me. If it doesn’t make sense, tell me.

I apologize for the lack of photos. I will remedy this if I ever write another recipe post again. :)

Accidentally Delicious Blueberry Jam (Makes about 8 quarter-pints or 4 pints)

  • 2 pounds of blueberries, washed (and check for stems. Stems are gross in jam.)
  • 2 1/2 cups of sugar
  • 1tsp cinnamon (fresh-grated is nice, but not necessary.)
  • 1/4c lemon juice (I use “Real Lemon” juice….the acidity is high enough to make the jam safe. Fresh lemon juice is too variable in the acid levels. If you’re not canning it and putting it in the fridge, fresh lemon is OK.)
  • 1/2 box pectin (or 3 Tbsp of the stuff in the jar)
1.  Put 3 spoons in the freezer. Rinse your blueberries (if you haven’t already) and discard any mushy berries or under-ripe ones. Make sure you brush up on canning procedures, and set your canning pot to boil with the empty jars. Put the lids in a heatproof bowl.
2. Put the berries in your jam pot (NOT an aluminum one, at least 2x as big as the amount of berries you have) and mash the berries up. (It’s easier if you do this in layers, rather than all at once. You can also do this in a food processor if you really want. Process/mash them less for chunkier jam, more for a smooth jam. I like it chunky.)
3. Mix up the pectin with 1/4 cup of the sugar, then dump that, the berries (if you haven’t already) and the lemon juice in your jam pot.
4. Over high heat & stirring often, cook to a full boil. (scrape the bottom and the sides every once in a while to make sure everything is incorporated and not scorching.)
5. When it’s reached a full boil, stir in the rest of the sugar and turn down the heat to medium.
6. Forget about it for 10 minutes or so. (this is what happened to me. You should probably be responsible and stir. Scrape the sides too.)
7. Panic and throw in some cinnamon. (Or remain calm because you have been forewarned, and add your 1tsp of cinnamon and stir.)
8. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Let it cook for 5-6 more minutes, then test for thickness. (this means “remove a spoon from the freezer, dip it in the jam and then let it run off the spoon NOT BACK INTO THE JAM POT to see if it’s the thickness *YOU* want.” You might like a thinner jam. We like a thicker, more gelled jam.)
9. Prep your jars. Get a folded towel on your counter, and dump the water from the jars in the canning pot into the bowl with the lids. (Jars go on the towel.)
10. Ladle your jam into the jars, leaving 1/4″ headspace. Run a chopstick around the inside of the jar to release any trapped bubbles.
11. Lids on jars, rings tightened to finger-tight. (this means “just tight”, not “OMG, it’s gonna take the Hulk to get this thing back off.” You want air to escape during canning.)
12. Process your jars in the water bath for 8 minutes. Remove from the canning pot, and set in an out-of-the-way spot so they can sit undisturbed for 24 hours.
Voila. Jam.
(If this is your first canning experience, please please please go read the Ball site I referenced above. I am not a canning expert, but I have been canning for a really long time. This recipe is written, assuming you know how to can.)

All images, ideas and text here is property of Mia Cupcake/Bruises in the Frosting, unless otherwise noted. Please do not copy without express permission from blog author.
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