Blueberry Jam for Winter

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make blueberry jam? Sterilize the jars any way you like — over steam, in the microwave, or (my preference) in the oven. Wash the jars with baking soda and rinse thoroughly. Set them in a cold oven neck-down while still wet, and lay out the lids too. Turn the oven to 300°F (150°C); once it reaches temperature, sterilize them — 10 minutes for jars from 0.2 to 0.72 L, 15 minutes for 1 L, 20 for 2 L, and 25 for 3 L.

2. Step 2:

   

   Get the berries and sugar ready. This recipe is for a small amount of berries — I bought a 1 L tub, and after picking through and snacking a bit, I had 500 g left. If you have more berries, scale it up with the calculator.

3. Step 3:

   

   Be sure to pick over the blueberries, removing all debris, leaves, stems, and especially any crushed berries. Unscrupulous sellers often mix leftover unsold berries in with a fresh batch, and even a few old berries can spoil the whole jam and make it ferment. If you're buying, choose carefully.

4. Step 4:

   

   Rinse the cleaned berries under cool running water. Let them drain, then weigh them — that determines how much sugar you'll need. And of course, taste the blueberries; mine were quite sweet.

5. Step 5:

   

   Put the berries in a wide bowl or a preserving pan. Use enamel or heavy-bottomed stainless steel so the fruit doesn't react with the metal. Add the sugar and stir gently. There are a few options here: you can portion the mixture into bags and freeze it, or let it sit a couple of hours to release its juices and cook it with the berries whole. I prefer another way.

6. Step 6:

   

   Even though blueberries are delicate, I like to pulse them a bit with an immersion blender — not too much, leaving big pieces of fruit. In this form the jam is great with tea, as a topping, or as a baking filling, among many other uses. Let the bowl sit on the counter for an hour, stirring a few times so the sugar dissolves.

7. Step 7:

   

   Then bring it to a boil over low heat. Stir constantly, scraping the bottom so the sugar doesn't stick but dissolves completely. Once it boils, time it and cook for exactly 5 minutes over low heat. Don't let it boil hard — keep it at a gentle simmer.

8. Step 8:

   

   At the end, add a little citric acid and stir. It balances the flavor and, if you added extra sugar, keeps the jam from crystallizing. You can use fresh lemon juice instead, or skip it entirely — it's up to you.

9. Step 9:

   

   Skim the foam off the finished jam — there isn't much, but do remove it. The hot jam will be thin, with pieces of fruit. The berries are already soft and done.

10. Step 10:

    

    Pour the hot jam right away into warm, dry, sterilized jars. Seal with sterile lids and turn upside down. Cover with something warm and leave until completely cool, then move to a dark, cool place. I ended up with one 0.5 L jar.