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Wild Maine Blueberry Jam

by:
September 30, 2009
4
3 Ratings
  • Serves 7-8 cups of jam
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Ingredients
  • 6 cups crushed blueberries from about 2 quarts berries (slightly underripe berries work best)
  • 6 cups sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 pinch salt
  • juice of half a lemon
Directions
  1. 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.
  2. Stir 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.
  3. Fill 8 one-cup glass jars, sterilized according to the jar manufacturer's instructions, and then process according to the manufacturer's instructions.
  4. Once 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.
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11 Reviews

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Tara C. August 23, 2014
Can this jam be frozen, or does it have to be canned?
Merrill S. August 23, 2014
I've never tried freezing it. This would be a great question to ask on our Hotline, though.
Panfusine July 27, 2013
I picked blueberries the day before & they're ripe (perfect for munching straight up) , can I still make jam with them?
Merrill S. July 27, 2013
Yes, fresh is best!
Panfusine July 27, 2013
Just finished making a batch with about 8 cups of blueberries, the proportions listed in the ingredients are Perfect as with all your recipes, substituted orange rind instead of cinnamon. Thanks once again Merrill! they're getting canned right now!
RMScott February 16, 2011
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.
Merrill S. February 16, 2011
Thanks for the great notes! And yes, mine is often a loose jam too.
AntoniaJames August 18, 2010
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)
Merrill S. February 16, 2011
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.
Bevi August 22, 2011
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.
AntoniaJames August 22, 2011
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)