by merrill
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merrill's Notes:
6 cups crushed blueberries from about 2 quarts berries (slightly underripe berries work best) Ask a question about this ingredient
6 cups sugar Ask a question about this ingredient
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon Ask a question about this ingredient
1 pinch salt Ask a question about this ingredient
juice of half a lemon Ask a question about this ingredient
Combine the berries and sugar in a large, heavy pot over high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the berries have released a lot of juice and have just begun to simmer.
Ask a question about this stepStir in the cinnamon, salt and lemon juice and return to a gentle, rolling boil. Boil the jam for about 40 minutes, stirring frequently, until it is quite thick and a small dollop spooned onto a plate and set aside to cool for a minute does not run when you tip the plate to one side.
Ask a question about this stepFill 8 one-cup glass jars, sterilized according to the jar manufacturer's instructions, and then process according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Ask a question about this stepOnce the jars have cooled, to make sure all of the lids are sealed, push down on the center of each. If the lid pops back up, the jar isn't sealed; you should refrigerate and eat any jam in unsealed jars within a couple of weeks. Properly sealed jars will keep in a cool, dry place for several months.
Ask a question about this stepThanks for the great notes! And yes, mine is often a loose jam too.
Why do you invert the jars when cooling them? Doesn't that interfere with the sealing process, thereby increasing the risk of spoilage/ruining the jam? ;o)
My mother always did it this way, and the jars seal perfectly every time. But if you prefer another way and feel it's safer, by all means use yours! I am definitely not a canning expert.
I too was skeptical of this method, AJ, since I come from the boiling water bath school. A friend of mine recently put up 200 small jars of peach jam using the inverted method, and swears by it. She also sterilized her jars by heating them in the oven on a baking sheet at 250 degrees.
I recently won an advanced jam-making course, focusing on flavor combining using herbs/spices/spirits, etc. with fruit, taught by Rachel Saunders of Blue Chair Fruit Company. (Her book was a finalist in the photography category of the James Beard Awards this year.) She doesn't invert, but processes all her jam upright in a 250 degree oven for 20 minutes. I've heard that June Taylor, an evangelist of small-batches using local organic produce, does it the same way. Jars are sterilized beforehand at the same temperature for 30 minutes. I went home and put up 16 jars of blueberries using that method and it seemed to work just fine. It was also brilliantly easy!! I would not use that method however for anything other than high acidity fruits and fruits to which a noticeable amount of acid has been added. I do think that for the inexperienced, the risk of mistakes greatly increases (particularly as there are numerous ways inadvertently to prevent a perfect seal). Given that the downside is botulism, which can be fatal, I would err on the side of caution here. Thus, for a recipe on a website, in particular, it would seem wise always to instruct the reader to follow the canning jar manufacturer's instructions. ;o)
I make this identical recipe but I use our local Vermont Blueberries although I love will Maine as well. I wanted to comment and stress that for me, cooking times may vary for thickness and almost always it comes out as sauce like and not a jam (maybe I am doing something incorrect). The under ripe redish berries that everyone overlooks are perfect for this recipe and give a much better blueberry flavor when compared to peak of ripeness berries. Combine both. Thanks much.