There is nothing quite like homemade jam. Nothing from a store will ever be as good. And the bonus is….you can create a jam that has considerably less sugar than normal. You can go as low as ¾ cup of sugar, but I find 2 cups to be about perfect (if making jam with other pectin brands, it often calls for as much as 7 cups sugar for the same size batch!). You can use 1 cup honey instead of the sugar, if desired. And another bonus? You can use thawed frozen blueberries. I pick and freeze our berries, and make jam in the late fall when I won’t feel overwhelmed by all the heat in the kitchen.
Lower Sugar Cinnamon Blueberry Jam
Ingredients:
- 4 cups mashed blueberries, measured after (about 6 to 8 cups before)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (1 large heavy lemon)
- 2 tsp calcium water*
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tsp Pomona’s Pectin
Directions:
Add 7 12-ounce mason canning into a water bath canner. Fill jars with water and the pot about halfway. Bring to a boil.
Add the bands and new lids to a small saucepan, cover with water. Bring to a simmer, turn off.
Measure the sugar into a bowl. Thoroughly mix pectin powder into the sugar. Set aside.
Bring the mashed blueberries, cinnamon, lemon juice and calcium water to a boil in a large stainless steel or non reactive pot.
Add pectin-sugar mix, stirring vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve the pectin.
Stir well and return to a full boil. Once the jam returns to a full boil, remove it from the heat.
Drain canning jars, place on a clean kitchen towel. Sterilize ladle and funnel.
Fill hot jars to ¼” of top. Wipe rims clean with a new damp paper towel. Place a drained lid on each jar, screw band on finger tight.
Place filled jars in canning pot, lower rack in. Make sure the jars are covered with water. Bring to a boil, and maintain boil 10 minutes (add 1 minute more for every 1,000 ft. above sea level).
Remove jars from water. Let jars cool on a clean kitchen towel. Remove bands and wash, check seals on jars; lids should be sucked down.
Consume within 1 year, once opened eat within 3 weeks. Jelly should sit for a few days/week before eating, as Pomona jelly/jam can take a bit longer to fully set up.
Note:
You can use whatever size mason jars you have on hand. I had about 5 cups jam to can. Your amount may vary on how much your mixture cooks down while simmering and how juicy the berries are. You may get more/less.
*To make the calcium water, follow the directions in the Pomona package. It is the smaller of the two packets in the box. It keep nearly forever once mixed with water in your refrigerator.
~Sarah