Good afternoon! The weekend is winding down, but I hope that yours has been relaxing, fun, and everything you needed after a tough work (or school) week!! I have to admit, I'm sort of not looking too forward to this upcoming week, but it is important and necessary for my health. As some of you know, I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease in late August of last year, although I'd been dealing with the symptoms for a while before then.
On Tuesday, I will be undergoing a surgery that will hopefully improve my quality of life significantly, but that will also have me on a major turn-down for the next month or so. I say this not to garner pity, but rather as a request that you guys keep me in your prayers; you never know completely what someone else is going through - someone may look completely fine, but be dealing with something absolutely horrible. Only a few people really saw the consequences of my condition, and I hope to keep it that way. But, hopefully I will be (basically) back to normal once my body has healed post-surgery.
On a much lighter note, this post is for the first of my blueberry recipe posts; obviously, I won't be able to continue with the blueberry posts until after my recovery. However, I will start putting posts on here as I get better; they won't have pictures, but I'll be posting some of my favorite random recipes that I love to make, and I'll resume my blueberry posts sometime near the middle of August.
This week's recipe is for blueberry jam, in case you couldn't tell by the title - this is a wonderful way to have a piece of summer all year long, and was inspired by a Food Network show episode I recently watched. If you guys don't know, Good Eats is one of my absolute favorite shows, because it not only teaches you how to make recipes, but it teaches you the science behind that recipe, and what is responsible for making it work. I recently saw the Urban Preservation I: Jam Session episode, and became a little bit obsessed with the idea of making my own jam. I have pre-frozen blueberries, but you can absolutely freeze your own if you have fresh ones; place them on a cookie sheet and put them in the freezer until they have frozen solid; place them in a labeled plastic freezer bag and you have ready-to-go blueberries!! Easy, huh?
Blueberry Jam (this recipe filled up 3 8 oz. mason jars perfectly for me, but it may vary)
15 oz. frozen blueberries
Pinch of cinnamon
Juice of half a lemon
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
Hardware:
Mason Jars with lids
Canning funnel (preferably stainless steel, but I used a plastic one)
Tongs (preferably canning tongs, but I used regular tongs - be very careful if you do this
Stockpot (or other very large pot)
Non-reactive saucepan
Non-reactive metal spoon
PATIENCE
1.) Wash all of the hardware thoroughly with hot, soapy water, then rinse thoroughly.
2.) Fill the large stockpot with hot water, then add the mason jars, rings (not the lids!!!! the sealing compount will melt), tongs, and the canning funnel (only if it's metal!!! otherwise, just place it on some paper towels). I would suggest having the tongs handle sticking out, so that it doesn't get as hot and you can use the tongs to pull out the equipment later.
3.) Bring the water to a boil, then let the equipment sterilize for 10 minutes; turn off the heat, then wait 5 minutes before adding the jar lids.
4.) Place the blueberries, cinnamon, lemon juice, and vinegar in the saucepan, then heat on low until the blueberries start to give off juice; then, start mashing the blueberries down with the metal spoon.
5.) Stir frequently and mash the blueberries until the mixture comes to a boil.
6.) Add the sugar, then increase the heat to medium-high and stir constantly until the mixture comes to a rolling boil (think magma!).
7.) Take out all of the equipment using the tongs, draining as much water out of the jars as you can, and place everything on a paper-towel lined cutting board.
8.) Place the funnel in the mouth of each jar, and fill with jam just until the level reaches the bottom of the funnel. DO NOT go past this, otherwise your jars may leak during processing.
9.) Wipe the mouth of each jar with a damp, clean paper towel, then place each lid on top. Don't press down!! It won't be necessary. Screw on the jar rings, just until tight - don't force it!
10.) Place the jars back into the stockpot using the tongs, then bring to a boil and process the jars (let them boil) for 5 minutes. Don't be fooled if you see a few bubbles floating from the top of the jars; this is excess air escaping from inside the jars, not boiling!
11.) Remove from the water and allow to cool on the towel-lined cutting board again for 8 hours, then press on the lid; if it doesn't move, you're good to go, but if it does, just store in the refrigerator and use in 2-3 weeks. Store in a cool, dry place with the rings off, to avoid rust and allow you to inspect the jars for spoilage..
I know this sounds tedious and complicated, but the truth is, it really isn't hard - the hardest part is waiting (or, trying to lift the sealed jars without canning tongs -_- lesson learned for next time)! I really hope you guys try this, but please be careful - keep oven mitts handy, and wear pants/a long-sleeved shirt just in case of splatters.
Here's a little background on the jam-making process:
While the exact origin of jam-making is a topic of debate, it most likely got its start in the Middle East, where cane sugar naturally grew. Marcus Gavius Apicius included jam recipes in his cookbook "Of Culinary Matters", which was written in Rome during the 1st century. Crusaders brought jams to Britain on their return, and the Spanish brought the process to the West Indies.
Jams, and jellies became wildly popular in Europe, and allowed people to enjoy fruit year-round while still obtaining nutritional benefits. However, they were enjoyed mainly by royal households - in particular, Louis XIV ended his royal feasts with fruit preserves in silver serving dishes. Jam dates back to the Tudor times in Britain, and was available in a wide variety of flavors and types. The first American cookbook to include jam recipes dates back to the 17th century; early settlers used various sweeteners (i.e. molasses, honey) and got pectin from boiled apple peels to thicken jams.
Since jams lasted much longer than fresh fruits, and still served as great sources of Vitamin C (prevents scurvy), they became very important for crews on boats. Although it is usually mass-produced now, it is simple to make and can last for at least a year, usually more.
Sources:
http://www.jamjamboree.org/history.html
http://www.purejam.com/History_of_Jam.htm
http://www.jelly.org/lore.html
