Picked my brother up at work the other night and we stopped at the grocery store to get a few things. That's when I saw it. The sign said, "Blueberries... Buy 1 Get 2 Free." I stared at it a while. Surely, this couldn't be right? They must have meant, "Buy 2 Get 1 Free."
I looked at that sign for a bit and finally, just went ahead and piled 6 pints into my cart. What the heck. Why not, right? I do loves me some blueberry jam, as well as blueberry pie, but that's for another day since THIS mama has been counting those calories, and yes, I know jam has a lot, but you all... Buy 1 Get 2 Free. That's all I'm saying.
Anywayyyy... I brought them and the next day, set about washing the berries and sorting through them. There was only a few that were not acceptable and those I tossed with disdain into the compost.
Darn it. Not enough sugar and what?? I knew I bought pectin, but could not find it. Off to the grocery store for both. Too bad there isn't a local sugar cane or sugar beet farm. I have a feeling that sugar is one of those things that if I knew the conditions of the workers, I would never buy again, but ignorance is bliss, as they say and I somehow doubt that either of those crops grow in Pennsylvania. (When we lived in Arizona, where I grew up, I used to see the trucks with sugar beets all the time, so I'm guessing the climate here is not conducive to either crop.)
While I was there, I looked through the meager canning supplies and thought for the umptiumpth time that I really should start a business that specializes in canning and putting food up supplies. (I could call it, "CAN this!")
Home again and dumped the rest of the sugar on the berries, as well as the pectin. I had jars all sterilized (which is super important in water bath canning) and ready to go along with hot lids and rings.
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| This is my steam canner, that I only use for sterilizing since there is lots of argument about it being hot enough to kill bacteria inside a full canning jar |
The jam came to a boil and threatened to over flow the very generous pot I had them in, which is why I don't have a pic of that step. I let it boil for the suggested amount (although now that it has cooled, it appears that I could have let it go for a bit longer, as the jam is more syrupy than jammy.) and loaded up the hot jars with the hot jam, swiped the rims with a clean paper towel dipped in white vinegar,
I then slammed on a lid and ring, tightened them finger tight and plunked them as I finished them one by one into the hot water bath. You should always have about an inch of water over the tops of the jars in water bath canning, just so that you get a good seal and even heat throughout the jar.
The jars were processed for 15 minutes, because they were pints and that's what the USDA says for that size.
Tonight, I removed the rings, washed the jars in hot soapy water and placed them upside down on the dish towel to dry. They are beeee-you-ti-full!
Here they are pictured with a batch of beans I pressure canned. I did the beans because my supply was running low and they make a great addition to salad or a quick dinner of bean tostados (which is what we had tonight). These are black beans and chick peas (garbanzos or chi-chis if you are Italian).
I cannot wait to have some delicious blueberry jam on toast with a fresh poached egg or two and maybe some homemade sausage. Oh, I should do a post about that, right? Best Christmas present ever... the grinder attachment for my Kitchenaid Mixer! (or as I like to call it, "The Goddess of Kitchen Equipment" I love that thing!)
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