Preserving Blueberries - by Sunscape

When the blueberries are abundant it is time to make jam and syrup. It has been two years since I made the jam so it was time to restock the #pantry. If you follow me here many of you know that I am a serious #prepper and grow as much food as possible to have on hand.

Blueberry Syrup

2 quarts blueberries (washed and de-stemmed)
6 cups water - divided
1 Tablespoon of lemon peel - grated
3 cups sugar
2 Tablespoons lemon juice (bottled only)

Crush the blueberries in a large saucepan and add 2 cups of water and the lemon peel. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Strain through a damp jelly bag or several layers of cheesecloth.

1. Combine the sugar and 4 cups of water in a medium pot; boil the liquid to 260°F. Add the strained blueberry juice to the sugar syrup. Boil for 1 minute. Stir in the lemon juice.
2. Ladle hot syrup into hot jars, leaving 1/4" headspace, and adjust the two-piece caps. Process the jars in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes.

Let the jars cool for 24 hours. It will be a wonderful addition to your pantry shelf.

Blueberry-Lime Jam

4 1/2 cups crushed blueberries
1 package of powdered pectin
5 cups sugar
1 Tablespoon grated lime peel
1/3 cup lime juice

Add the pectin to the crushed blueberries in a large saucepot. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Add the sugar and stir till dissolved.

Stir in the grated lime and juice and return it to a rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute stirring constantly. Remove it from the heat and skim off any foam if necessary.

Ladle the jam into hot jars, clean the rims, and adjust your 2 piece caps. Place into the water bath canner and process for 15 minutes. It will yield about 6 half-pint jars for the pantry shelf.

You can look forward to seeing more posts on how I preserve everything from my gardens. Perhaps it will encourage you to grow food and process it for your family to enjoy.

Until next time, this is Sunscape
Sun. Scape. Ing Your Day