and so yes, I revisited the great blueberry jam adventure of July 2013. I mean, wouldn't they make awesome presents for friends back home? Friends who have never attempted to can or pickle veggies, or jar fruit and preserves? Basically, if I might say so with a hint of contempt, urbanites? Good Gravy, urbanites. I'd be the hippiest of the lot, the kid so in touch with Mother Nature, I'd might as well give birth, natural-birth style, while singing battle-hymns from Enya.
No thanks.
Honestly, there isn't much for me to add, except that these traveled very well packed snugly in a suitcase. Can I just repeat this? I can't help myself.
that said, proper measurements and instructions, I think, are in order:
MTHWL Blueberry Jam
produces just over 80 oz of jam
ingredients
5-6 pints of blueberries to produce 6.5 cups of crushed berries (directions below)
3.5 cups of sugar; reserve the half cup for mixing into the pectin (so 3 cups of sugar in a big bowl, then half cup of sugar in a small bowl to be mixed in with the pectin)
1 packet of sure-jell pectin for reduced sugar recipes (pink box)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed or otherwise)
special equipment
10x 8 oz canning jars, or any other container, cleaned and sterilized **
1 medium and 2 large, tall pots (if possible, if not, one will do, but processing the jam will take longer)
steaming racks or canning racks to suspend jars in hot water (i've read that towels folded over and lain on the bottom of the pot works too, but have never tried it. i should though)
funnel (ideal), or a pair of steady hands, a ladle, and a hot, clean, sterilized moist towel to wipe up drips (drop it into the pot of boiling water sitting on the side)
special immediate note: be kind to yourself and check to make sure that even after standing your jars upright on the steaming rack (or otherwise) in your tall pot, there is at least 4 inches of space above it to account for the boiling water. see if you can fit all 10 jars (I highly doubt it) in one of your large pots. if not, you will need another, or have to process the jams in two batches)
jar-lifter, secure tongs, or any other smart apparatus to help you pull your jars of processed jams out of the boiling water
directions
1) clean and sterilize your canning jars. I've used a quart jar before to gift to Pan's mom and pyrex containers for quantities that I will be consuming immediately at home, and thus doesn't need to be sealed, but in general, i find 8 and 12 ounce jars to be the most ideal for gifting and personal consumption.
I clean and sterilize my jars by running them through the washing machine, and then drying them off quickly by popping them into the oven set to 240 dF. I only take them out of the oven just before I ladle the jam in. That way, I am assured that the jars and lids are kept clean.
2) Place a metal spoon and plate in the freezer to test that the jam has set. (I always forget this step and scramble to prepare some ice water as a substitute) At this time, I also place the one/two large, tall pots filled a third with water on a medium heat so that it gets to a unbearably warm temperature by the time it is needed.
3) prepare your berries. I find that 5 very fresh pints of berries would suffice, although to be very careful, I'd buy 6, just in case you come across some mouldy or badly bruised berries. Rinse them several times in water, removing all bruised and battered berries, stems, or foreign material.
Pulse them in your blender using the chop function until barely chopped up. You will still get several whole berries, and that's fine. Too smooth, and you'll likely get a blueberry spread-texture instead of a chunky, fruit-filled jam. I do this in batches, measuring out 6.5 cups of chopped fruit, and transfer it into the medium-sized pot.
4) Place your pot on a medium heat. Add your water, lemon juice, and your sugar-pectin mix, stir until the sugar and pectin has been thoroughly distributed and dissolved. Turn up the heat and let your mixture come to a rapid boil (ie the mixture does not stop bubbling even when you stir it). It will foam, and turn into a most worrying shade of magenta.
At this point in time, I would have taken my jars and lids out from the oven, and assembled them.
5) Pour in the rest of the sugar (3 cups) and stir away. Make sure that all the sugar is dissolved-- no lumps-- and bring it back up to a hard boil for one full minute. I'm not sure what the persnickity chemical reaction is that requires such diligent timing, but just give it your concentration for one minute. Don't let it boil past that timing, or under the timing.
6) Take out your frozen spoon and plate. spoon some of your jam out with the ladle and drip it onto the spoon and/or plate. Wait just a minute to see if it sets. It should seem firm to the touch, and should not run when you tilt the plate. Taste the jam on the spoon. You should be able to feel the "set-ness" of the jam on your tongue. It should take heavy from the fruit content; don't expect it to have a jelly-like consistency, though. It's not a jelly!
Once you are satisfied with the texture, work quickly to ladle/funnel it into the jars, wiping off spills immediately. Make sure that the rims and grooves are completely clean. Try to minimize the number of bubbles you form on the surface. If you do see any, take a sharp knife and burst them.
Screw on the lids tightly, and it's on to the second-last step-- the processing!
7) Set your jars in your processing pots that have been prepared earlier. Take care that the water is not too hot-- or else the glass might crack from the sudden spike in temperature-- and top it off with cool water. Your jars should be submerged in at least 2 inches of water. Arrange them snugly to make sure that they do not topple over. I suspect that will cause your jars not to seal properly-- this happened to one of my jars. Bring to a boil, and continue to boil for 5-10 minutes. Mine normally boil for about 8 minutes.
8) Check to make sure that all the lids are concave, and you can't press them down to make the popping noise which tells you that the seal has been compromised. As you can see above, all the seals are down, which basically means you've done well. If some jars fail to seal, I've read that you should pour the jam out, bring it back to a boil, and basically reprocess the whole thing. Personally, I'd just eat that jar first, or give it to a close friend who trusts that you are not out to give them botulism, and tell them to eat it immediately. Honestly it's shouldn't be a big deal-- this stuff tastes so good on toast, yoghurt, baking, ice cream, pancakes and on it's own, it wouldn't last long enough to give you any cause for concern!
Set your jam jars aside in a cool, dark location to let them cool down and rest. Try not to mess with them! A neat trick I've learnt is to unscrew the rings, being careful not to upset the lids, to let them dry out. Can you see how the jars on the right of the picture above are ring-less?
Sure enough, when I unscrewed the lids, there was residual water left over from the processing. No wonder my lids kept on getting rusty! Don't forget to screw them back on before you gift them, though! :)
