After making this jam, I took a bite of it, and I was like wow this is some of the best jam I've ever made! The day after I made the jam, I made some blueberry scones, and they tasted great together.
How to Make & Can Your Own Blueberry Jam!
1. Prepare fruit:
2. Get the canner ready: Fill your water bath canner with enough water to cover the jars and bring it to a boil because this takes about 30-40 minutes.
3. Prepare jars:
(1) Wash the canning jars you will need in hot sudsy water.
(2) After they’ve been rinsed, fill them with hot water until they’re needed. This will keep the jars from breaking when they’re filled with the hot jam.
4. Into the saucepan add:
(1) The 5 cups of mashed berries.
(2) Stir into the berries 2 T of lemon juice and 1 cup of apple/white grape frozen juice concentrate or 1 cup of water. Last week when I made this jam, I used straight frozen apple juice concentrate to cut down on the amount of sugar I needed to add.
(3) Gradually stir in 1 package of Ball No Sugar Needed Fruit Pectin that's been stirred with 1/4 cup of sugar. Whisk to remove lumps.
(4) Add 1 t of butter to reduce foaming.
(5) Bring this mixture to a full rolling boil (one that cannot be stirred down) over medium high heat. Stir the jam constantly so it doesn't scorch! Skim off any foam while cooking.
(6) If you want to add sugar: You don’t have to add any sugar to this kind of pectin to get it to set, but the instructions say the lack of sugar will affect the appearance and the taste will be a bit tart. Taste the jam to see how much sugar you want to add—this can be from nothing up to 3 cups. If you add sugar, bring it back to a boil for 1 minute and then remove from stove.
5. Meanwhile Prepare lids:
5. Meanwhile Prepare lids:
(1) Put about 1-2 cups of water in a small saucepan and let it get hot or set lids in a bowl with hot water poured over them.
(2) Put the lids into the pan when the jam starts to boil, but make sure the water in the pan the lid goes in doesn’t start to boil. One site said this could make the seal not work as effectively.
6. Ladle the jam into the jars:
(1) Empty the jars as you need them of their hot water, and then ladle in the jam leaving about ¼” space.
(2) Wipe the rim and threads clean with a damp cloth. If you leave some jam on the lid, it might prevent a good seal from forming.
7. Put on the lid and screw on the band: Put the lid on the jar and hold it steady with your fingertip while you screw on the band until it’s what they call fingertip tight (which means don’t overdo it!). I am using the picture from when I made applesauce to show this technique that my friend Marie taught me around 1984.
8. Finish the rest of the jars: Go through steps 6 & 7 until all the jam is gone.
9. Process in the canner - Put in when the water is boiling:
(1) Put the jars in one by one with the jar lifter.
(2) Make sure they don’t touch each other on the rack.
(3) Add more hot water if it doesn’t cover the top of the jars.
(4) Put the lid on the canner and process jam for 10 minutes—you count the time when it comes to a full rolling boil. Follow altitude directions on your pectin package.
(5) Let jars sit in the canner for 5 minutes before removing.
(6) Take jars out with your lifter and put on a flat surface where they can sit undisturbed for 24 hours.
(6) Take jars out with your lifter and put on a flat surface where they can sit undisturbed for 24 hours.
10 Test seals:
(1) A good seal: The next day you can check the seals by pressing the center of each lid. If the lid doesn’t flex up and down, it’s sealed.
(2) A bad seal: If a jar didn’t seal, you can put the jam in the refrigerator for 3 weeks or you can reprocess it with a new lid for 10 minutes.
11. Clean jars & remove bands: Wipe down the jars and remove the bands. Store the jam in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.
11. Clean jars & remove bands: Wipe down the jars and remove the bands. Store the jam in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.
Other jam posts you can check out on this blog:
How to Make Low Sugar Raspberry Jam
Homemade Apple Butter
Triple Berry Low Sugar Jam
How to Make & Can Your Own Blueberry Jam
Just Like Grandma's Homemade Low Sugar Strawberry Jam
Grandma's Recipe for Dandelion Honey
Other canning posts you can check out on this blog:
You Can Do It Yourself - How to Make & Can Applesauce
Tasty Countertop Pickles - Naturally Fermented Without Vinegar!
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