Recipe from Kevin West
Adapted by Julia Moskin
- Total Time
- About 2 hours, plus overnight cooling
- Rating
- 4(218)
- Notes
- Read community notes
The flavor of blueberries resides almost completely in the purple skins, full of compounds called terpenes. The skins have piney, citrusy qualities, but those flavors cook off quickly, which is why blueberry pies and jams so often taste of sweet and nothing else. Adding lime juice and zest after cooking brings back the sweet-tart balance of the berries. —Julia Moskin
Featured in: Getting Started With Blueberry Jam
Learn: How to Make Jam
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Ingredients
Yield:2 pints
- 3pounds blueberries, stemmed and rinsed
- 3cups sugar
- 1tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 13-inch cinnamon stick
- Juice and zest of 1 lime
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
391 calories; 1 gram fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 101 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 92 grams sugars; 1 gram protein; 3 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Prepare four ½-pint jars: Wash jars, lids and rings in hot, soapy water and rinse well. Place jars in a 200-degree oven until needed. Put lids in a pan of boiling water, and cover until needed.
Step
2
Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot or canning bath. (Or put down a layer of lid rings.) Add enough water to cover jars by 2 to 3 inches (do not put jars in yet) and bring to a boil, then reduce heat. The water will need to be at about 180 degrees — a whispering boil — when jars are added for processing. Place two small saucers in freezer.
Step
3
In a large saucepan, gently heat berries with ½ cup water until they burst their skins. Remove pan from heat, let cool slightly, and run berries through the coarse blade of a food mill.
Step
4
Return purée to pan. Add sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon stick. Cook at a full boil, stirring constantly, until a gel set is achieved, 8 to 10 minutes; mixture will look jammy. To test, drop a teaspoon of the mixture onto a chilled saucer. Put in freezer for 1 minute. Push your finger through jam. If surface wrinkles, it is ready. (If not, cook a few minutes more and repeat with second saucer.) Discard cinnamon stick. Stir in lime juice and zest.
Step
5
Ladle hot jam into jars, leaving ¼-inch head space to allow contents to expand. Run a skewer or other thin tool around the jars’ inside edges to release bubbles or air pockets. Wipe rims clean with a damp paper towel, put flat lids in place, and screw on rings just until tight.
Step
6
Using a jar lifter or tongs, lower sealed jars into water bath. Cover and rapidly bring water to a full rolling boil. Once water is boiling, boil jars for 10 more minutes.
Step
7
Turn off heat and remove jars from water bath. Place on a cutting board or folded dish towel and leave overnight.
Step
8
The next morning, verify that jars have sealed. Remove ring and press on center of lid. If the lid moves, or if the “button” in the center flexes, the seal has failed to set. The jam is still safe to eat, but it is not suitable for shelf storage; put it in the refrigerator and use it first. Store sealed jars in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year. Refrigerate after opening. Info Box
Ratings
4
out of 5
218
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Cooking Notes
Hernan
When I make this, instead of 3 cups of sugar for 3 cups of fruit, use only half the sugar. It takes a little longer to gel, but the result has more blueberry flavor as well as being lower in added sugar.
Discerning1
Gotta tell you, in season I make a much simpler version for my morning yogurt or ricotta.
Rinse a basket of blueberries, put them in a saucepan without added water and add a teaspoon or so of agave syrup.
Heat until the mixture is juicy. Put it in a jar in the refrigerator. Eat daily.
Joyce Field
too much sugar. you can safely cut in half and you will taste the fruit instead of the sugar. I never sieve the fruit.
Vesna
You can put the jars in the 180F oven for 15minutes before you pour the jam in. Lids, you need to boil to sterilize them. When you fill the jars, close them tightly and return to the warm oven for another 15 minutes. Then turn the oven off and let the jars sit in it until they are cool.
Penny
How about a freezer blueberry jam recipe? Thanks.
M Davis
I found the lime a bit overwhelming so I cut down on the zest by half and now love it. Also, I use Pomona calcium-based pectin, which sets up consistently and allows you to cut way down on the sugar that's necessary with Sure-jell and other such products. It's expensive but worth it. Very few stores carry it but it's available online.
JenCT
That old-fashioned canning method is not considered safe enough anymore.
grlady1950
I've learned the hard way that BOILING the lids is detrimental to the product. I used to do it every time I canned jam, apple sauce or pickles. Mold would form at the lids, the product was still safe after scraping it away, however risky. My research revealed that the newer lids only need to be simmered, not boiled. I put the lids and rings in a pan of water with burner set on low when I begin cooking the product. So far so good, no mold.
Gary
With all the citrus, is the boiling-water bath required for canning? I've made blackberry-lemon marmelade, and all you have to do is invert the jars on the counter for a few minutes. Then turn upright.
stephen
Blueberries are high in pectin, so you don't need to add any.
Gail Wolf
When you start to boil, some foaming will occur. When the jam is done, almost all the foam has been reabsorbed. This took 10-12 minutes. I used 3#6 oz. of berries (since that is how they came), and got 48 oz of jam. The jam has the perfect amount of sweetness for me -- not too sugary, but enough.
Babs
I understand that the inversion method is not recommended anymore; however, it would seem to me if the jar is sealed, it is safe…
I have never had issues with inverting jars for jam in over 50 years...
Vesna
I use fructose instead of sugar which does not increase the GI. That way people who are watching their sugar intake can still enjoy the jam.
Babs
You can find freezer jam recipes on any pectin canning product. I use Sure-jell.
Tim M
Agree with the comment by Joyce M. Great recipe but recommend not running the fruit through the food mill. Way too much sugar, we used less than half the listed amount.
Shelly
I dumped all the ingredients except the lime zest/juice in all together and cooked down like all other jam I make with friends. Added the lime at the end. Skipped the food mill altogether -- I enjoy the pieces of whole fruit in the jam. I would probably skip the cinnamon next time and maybe add a touch of vanilla. The cinnamon overshadowed the lime.
Shyamela
Used 1/3 cup sugar for 12 oz of blueberries and it's still too sweet.
elle
Used half as much sugar with my freshly picked blueberries and it was plenty. I also ended up with 6 1/2 pint jars worth. Easy to follow directions and delicious results.
Betsy S
I used frozen blueberries and 2 cups of sugar. Juice of half a lime and zest added just before transferring to the jars.
Sarah Slaughter
Check the instructions on the box of lids. The newer ones don’t recommend boiling before using, just wash and dry them. The gasket material has changed.
Tim M
Agree with the comment by Joyce M. Great recipe but recommend not running the fruit through the food mill. Way too much sugar, we used less than half the listed amount.
MRG
Used ~7c pick-your-own fresh and tangy blues; mashed (not food milled) after got soft. Took advice to cut sugar (2 c), plus 2T lemon and 2T lime juice as directed but no lime zest as the cinnamon stick seemed to impart a funny bitter after taste I didn't want to risk accentuating. Cooking time about double recommended with constant stirring and testing. Tart/interesting flavor. 4 (not 5) stars for texture, cross between jam and jelly that weeps on standing. Would add more sugar next time.
Lynn
This is amazing. It took considerably longer to gel but the lower sugar and no pectin make a wonderful jam.
Carol
If wild Maine blueberries are used in jam or pie no additional flavor or tartness will be needed. Maine wild blueberries are smaller than other blueberries and pack more flavor. I freeze the wild blueberries, harvested in Washington County, Maine, and use them all year long until the next harvest season (which is just ending).
grlady1950
I've learned the hard way that BOILING the lids is detrimental to the product. I used to do it every time I canned jam, apple sauce or pickles. Mold would form at the lids, the product was still safe after scraping it away, however risky. My research revealed that the newer lids only need to be simmered, not boiled. I put the lids and rings in a pan of water with burner set on low when I begin cooking the product. So far so good, no mold.
Ann
I add no water, no sugar just a few drops of stevia at end. Rind & juice of 1 lemon 3-4 tbs chia seeds to thicken.
Jar & freeze. Delicious
Marcella congdon
Try using 1/2 blueberries 1/2 cranberries; short the sugar. The best!
Patonslake
Why do recipe writers only use the old methods to test jellyfish stage rather than temperature?
MRG
Because it works for ordinary "home cooking" and not everyone has a thermometer to use for this (I'm guessing).
John Dunlap
Could I use this recipe for huckleberries? May skip use of the food mill... Thoughts anyone?
MRG
Blueberries are domesticated huckleberries, a factlet easily found on the internet. i.e., they're close "cousins" - same family (Vaccinium), same genus. "Domestication" means ordinary breeding and selection for size, flavor, firmness, yield, and other qualities convenient for commercial production and shipping. So you should be able to use them interchangeably for recipes like this. Enjoy your wild crop!
M Davis
I found the lime a bit overwhelming so I cut down on the zest by half and now love it. Also, I use Pomona calcium-based pectin, which sets up consistently and allows you to cut way down on the sugar that's necessary with Sure-jell and other such products. It's expensive but worth it. Very few stores carry it but it's available online.
stephen
Blueberries are high in pectin, so you don't need to add any.
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