The Charm of Home: Homemade Blueberry Jam

This time of year, I take all of the berries and fruit I have frozen and make jam. This past week, I made blueberry jam. This recipe will work on any berry, but strawberry. It is wonderful to have a cupboard full of jams for winter when you can't get fresh fruit.

Homemade Blueberry Jam

Ingredients:

9 cups of crushed berries (4-5 pounds)

6 cups of sugar

Mesure out blueberries and add to a medium large (mine was 6 quart) stockpot. Coarsley crush berries as they thaw (if frozen) with a potato masher. Measure out 9 cups of crushed berries.

Combine crushed berries and suagr back in stockpot and bring mixture slowly to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and cook rapidly to gelling point (220°F), stirring to prevent sticking. Skim off foam if necessary. I test my gelling point with a few large spoons placed in the freezer. I pull them out and dip the spoon into the berries and when I can swipe down the spoon and the fruit mixture separates and doesn't cover back where I swiped my finger I know the jam is ready.

Fill the hot jam into a hot jar that you have already prepared as per water bath canning instructions. Leave 1/4-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Clean jar rim. Center jar lid on jar and place band on that at fingertip-tight. Place jar on rack of hot water bath canner and when all are full lower jars into to the canner. Make sure the water covers the jars by an inch. Adjust heat to mediium high cover canner with lid and bring to a rolling boil. Process half-pint jars or pint jars 15 minutes. Turn off heat and remove cover. Let jars set in canner 5 minutes. Remove the jars from canner, do not retighten bands if loose. Cool 12 hours. Check seals. Label and store jars. The proper way to store is without the band at all.