Jam is a great way to use up  extra fruit. Jam is easier to make than jelly because you don’t have to make the juice and time everything exact.

I have my own blueberry bushes, but you can buy fresh or frozen and it will still yummy.

 

You will need five or six 1/2 pint jars. They are also known as jelly jars.

You will need lids for sealing. Either one piece sealing lids or the rings and flats.

A ladle and a food funnel would be great for filling the jars.

Water bath canner is optional.

You will need a large dutch oven.

You will also need a potato masher or something to mash the berries and a large spoon.

 

Ingredients:                                                            

6 cups blueberries

4 cups white sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice

 

Directions:

Rinse the blueberries and check for stems or bad berries. Add to the dutch oven and mash with the potato masher.

Add the sugar and lemon juice and stir well until combined.

Turn the heat on to medium high and bring to a good boil, stirring frequently.

Set the timer for 15-20 minutes and continue to stir frequently. Stir well to make sure the jam doesn’t stick on the bottom of the pan. If it boils up too much, you can turn it down a little. But, you need to maintain a good boil so don’t turn it down too low.

After 15 minutes, you can start to test for set. To do this, put a small plate in the freezer and remove it and put a bit of jam on the plate. If it does not run, it is ready. If it does, it needs to go a few more minutes.

Testing for set is optional. When you make jam, you would rather have it a little thin over too thick. If jam is overcooked, it will turn gummy as it cools.

When the jam is like you want, ladle the jam into jars. Seal.

USDA does not recommend the upside down method, which is basically sealing the jars and turning them upside down to cool. This is pretty old school and this is what I do.

There is enough acid in the sugar and added lemon juice that makes jam safe for water bath canning. These need to be processed in a water bath canner for 5 minutes.

 

If you want to do the upside down method and are worried about them keeping well, just store them in your fridge.