I know, you’re probably like “What the fuck is with all the berries lately!?” Well I’ve been taking a lot of requests, that’s what. Also, berries are in season now so they’re everywhere I go. And being that 4th of July weekend was so hot & humid it was impossible to bake without dying, I opted to make some other treats that didn’t require an oven, just a stove-top, which is far easier to deal with. In the new Real Simple magazine, there’s a recipe for a quick blueberry jam, and since I had such success with the rhubarb-ginger one, I thought I’d give it a go. My canning kit had arrived by this time, but I wanted to make something really easy and not a huge batch of anything- I didn’t really want to be in the kitchen all day. Well that and I was lazy.
My parents are big blueberry people. Not blueberry people like Violet Beauregarde, blueberry people as in they like blueberries. My parents aren’t blue or round or anything. They look normal. They are normal, I mean. Well as normal as they can be, they did create me. My dad is actually the bigger blueberry person, remember when he requested blueberry cupcakes in January when they aren’t in season? I do. I had to buy frozen or pay 6 million dollars for a pint. But both of them do enjoy those little blue orbs that stain everything including your teeth. I did make those blueberry muffins for my mother, after all. So I figured why the hell not make some of this for 4th of July weekend/my mom’s birthday since the blueberries in my fruit market were humongous & absolutely gorgeous (and the raspberries & blackberries were buy one get one free- but that was already talked about!).
That is not a muffin. That is jam.
…
Speaking of blueberries, I recently, on a bit of a whim, bought a blueberry bush. Vaccinium Corymbosum, or Northern highbush blueberry to be exact, also known as blue huckleberry, tall huckleberry, swamp huckleberry, high blueberry, and swamp blueberry. It was on sale for 50% off and there were only 2 left, so I grabbed one. Of course I’m not expecting a harvest this year, but certainly next year I ought to end up with a few. I bought it more as a novelty than anything else; I think it’s a cool thing to have. If I get some fruit, then awesome, if not… oh well. For $4.50 it’s worth a shot, though it needs a little TLC (some browning leaves, etc). I’m also looking forward to seeing the leaves change to “a brilliant red” in the fall. It’s in a medium sized pot for now, I’m debating whether or not to plant it in a bigger pot or in the ground. I’m leaning towards a larger pot. Let’s see how it fares after this winter.
Just call me “Tall Huckleberry Finn”, a.k.a. the girl who adopts lonely plants…
…
Alright so basically, this jam was just as easy as the rhubarb-ginger jam, and just as tasty. Super quick & simple… and it lasts up to a month in the fridge! Save your jars, people. Every jar you buy, make sure it’s rinsed & cleaned out thoroughly so it’s odor-free & sparkly and then save ’em. You can make loads of stuff like this to fill them, but they’re also great just for storage; nails, screws, paper clips, beads, nuts & bolts, etc. But you can also use regular Ball jars that you’d use for canning, or buy jars like the one above in a place like Williams-Sonoma (glass, like mine in the picture) or Bed Bath & Beyond (plastic, like this one). My great-grandmother never, ever used a plastic anything. She saved every glass jar and stored her leftover food in them, and even used them as drinking glasses, which is an idea I love. Maybe she was on to something?
I’m pretty sure that with the lemon juice this is safely acidic for canning, but don’t quote me on that. I’m a newbie. Either way, I’m sure it can be made into a canned blueberry jam quite easily, and not with much more hullabaloo. But did you ever have a day where you just didn’t want to make any effort further than the very basic one? Yeah. That was me the (sweltering, blistering, scorchingly hot) day I made this. Like I said, lazy. And very hot & sweaty.
EASY BLUEBERRY JAM
Ingredients:
- 5 cups blueberries (about 2 ½ pints)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
Directions:
- Combine ingredients in a medium saucepan and using a potato masher or wooden spoon, mash blueberries until they release their juices.
- Cook on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 18-25 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, transfer to containers, and refrigerate for up to 1 month or freeze up to 1 year.
This recipe can also be made with frozen blueberries instead of fresh; just buy two 10-ounce bags and cook them for 2-3 minutes before mashing, then reduce the total cooking time to 15-17 minutes. I will say this about the cooking though… be ye ever so careful of the splatters. Don’t wear a white apron or a white t-shirt while making it. But other than that, it’s so easy, really a trained monkey could do it. So do it.
Here’s a dollop of it on some of that French vanilla ice cream I made. You could even mix it into vanilla ice cream while it’s in the ice cream maker to make a blueberry-vanilla ice cream.
…
Seriously, go try it. I’ve heard it’s insanely good for a 5 minute recipe. You can have it on ice cream, an English muffin, spread it on a delicious scone or piece of bread and sing this song with Fats Domino…
I'm Marilla. A 30-something artist, hobby baker, home canning enthusiast, gardener, DIY-er, wife, mommy of a baby boy and dog mom (to another baby boy) from New York. 
I don’t know if it’s just me or if everybody else experiencing issues with your blog.
It looks like some of the text within your content are running off the screen. Can someone
else please provide feedback and let me know if this is happening to
them as well? This might be a issue with my web browser
because I’ve had this happen before. Thanks
Fastidious answer back in return of this matter with real arguments and telling all on the topic of that.
Can I simply just say what a relief to discover an individual who really
knows what they are talking about on the web. You actually realize how
to bring a problem to light and make it important.
More and more people ought to read this and understand this side of your story.
I was surprised that you aren’t more popular given that you
surely possess the gift.
I always emailed this webpage post page to all my associates, for the reason that if like to read it after that my contacts will too.
Unquestionably believe that which you stated. Your favorite justification appeared to be on the net the simplest
thing to be aware of. I say to you, I certainly get irked while people think about worries that they plainly do not know about.
You managed to hit the nail upon the top and defined out the whole
thing without having side effect , people could take
a signal. Will likely be back to get more. Thanks
Some truly interesting information, well written and broadly user
friendly.
Wow, this paragraph is pleasant, my younger sister is analyzing such things, therefore I am going
to inform her.
Some truly interesting info, well written and loosely user friendly.
Highly energetic blog, I liked that bit. Will there be a part 2?
I pay a visit each day some sites and information sites to read posts, however this webpage
presents feature based writing.
Good answer back in return of this issue with real arguments and describing the whole thing
about that.
Some really terrific work on behalf of the owner of this internet site, dead outstanding subject matter.
This is getting a bit more subjective, but I much prefer the Zune Marketplace. The interface is colorful, has more flair, and some cool features like ‘Mixview’ that let you quickly see related albums, songs, or other users related to what you’re listening to. Clicking on one of those will center on that item, and another set of “neighbors” will come into view, allowing you to navigate around exploring by similar artists, songs, or users. Speaking of users, the Zune “Social” is also great fun, letting you find others with shared tastes and becoming friends with them. You then can listen to a playlist created based on an amalgamation of what all your friends are listening to, which is also enjoyable. Those concerned with privacy will be relieved to know you can prevent the public from seeing your personal listening habits if you so choose.
I got this website from my buddy who shared with me concerning this web site and at the moment this
time I am visiting this web page and reading very informative
articles or reviews at this place.
Zune and iPod: Most people compare the Zune to the Touch, but after seeing how slim and surprisingly small and light it is, I consider it to be a rather unique hybrid that combines qualities of both the Touch and the Nano. It’s very colorful and lovely OLED screen is slightly smaller than the touch screen, but the player itself feels quite a bit smaller and lighter. It weighs about 2/3 as much, and is noticeably smaller in width and height, while being just a hair thicker.
Undeniably believe that which you stated. Your favorite reason appeared to be
on the net the easiest thing to be aware of.
I say to you, I certainly get irked while people think about worries
that they plainly don’t know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and also defined out the whole thing without having side-effects ,
people can take a signal. Will likely be back to get
more. Thanks
Wonderful article! This is the kind of information that are supposed to be shared around the internet.
Shame on Google for no longer positioning this submit higher!
Come on over and discuss with my web site . Thanks =)
you are truly a excellent webmaster. The site loading velocity is incredible.
It kind of feels that you are doing any unique trick.
Moreover, The contents are masterpiece. you’ve done a great
process on this topic!
At this time it looks like BlogEngine is the best blogging
platform out there right now. (from what I’ve read) Is that what
you are using on your blog?
Generally I do not learn article on blogs, however I wish to say that
this write-up very compelled me to check out and do it!
Your writing taste has been surprised me. Thank you, very nice post.
Spot on with this write-up, I honestly feel this web site needs a
great deal more attention. I’ll probably be back again to
read more, thanks for the information!
My brother recommended I may like this web site. He was once
entirely right. This put up actually made my day.
You cann’t consider just how much time I had spent for this information! Thanks!