Blueberry Jam

Continuing on the blueberry theme, I did a blueberry jam next. The blueberries were much easier to prepare for jam than the strawberries or cherries. I just needed to rinse them, pick out any bad ones and remove a few stems. I used a mixture of cultivated and wild blueberries. The blueberry jam set really well. With only a few hours to set it was solid enough to be a bit difficult to spread on lightly toasted bread. The next time I make jam I am going to have to try making it without the use of pectin to see how it goes.

Ingredients:
5 cups blueberries (halved and crushed)
1 cup water
1 box Certo pectin crystals
2 & 1/2 cups sugar

Directions:
1. Bring the blueberries, water, pectin and 1 cup of sugar to a boil with high heat in a large pot.
2. Add the rest of the sugar.
3. Bring to a hard boil for 1 minute.
4. Remove from heat.
5. Stir and skim foam for 5 minutes.
6. Pour into sterilized jars.

To sterilize the jars:
1. Wash in hot soapy water.
2. Keep the lids in boiling water until ready to use.
3. Place jars in 225F oven for 10 minutes and keep warm until ready to use.