Blueberry Freezer Jam

I love the fresh taste of this jam, and it is easy to put together. The finished product can be refrigerated for 1 month or frozen for up to a year. 

Here it is stored in Ball Freezer Jars, which are plastic. You can find them at Wal-Mart, alongside the pectin. The neat thing about these jars is that you can store one on top of the other by pressing the bottom of one onto the lid of the other, and it will not come apart until you separate them. Also, the lids screw on rather than snap on. 

Ingredients you will need: Blueberries, Sugar, Lemon Juice, and Instant Pectin. I used Nellie & Joe's Key West Lemon Juice, which I purchased from Publix, but I believe can be obtained from Wal-Mart, too.

Rinse berries in colander and drain.


 

 Mash berries with potato masher until they pop and are juicy.

Add berries to saucepan along with the sugar.

Add lemon juice to the berry mixture and heat until sugar dissolves...approximately 5 minutes. 

Place berry mixture in bowl and mash until desired chunkiness. This is how I like it, but if you prefer a smoother consistency just blend in blender. 

Add the instant pectin.

Instant pectin is for freezer jam. This is what I used. 

Thoroughly stir the pectin into the berry mixture.

Ladle the jam into the freezer jars being careful not to splash it, as it will stain.

Pictured above is a double batch. (I doubled all ingredients in recipe below except sugar, which I used a total of 2 cups).

Let cool in jars before storing in fridge or freezer. Jam will firm up after several hours. 
Besides using on bread/toast, try a spoonful or two stirred into vanilla ice cream or yogurt. Looks great in center of cheese ring and served with crackers. Enjoy! 

I made a double batch, but here is the recipe for 1 batch:

Blueberry Freezer Jam 
www.whispersofthyme.blogspot.com
(yields 16 ounce freezer jar of jam)

Ingredients:
12 ounces (1 dry pint) fresh blueberries
1 1/2 cups (3/2 cups) sugar 
1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice (I use Nellie & Joe's Key West Lemon Juice)
2 Tablespoons Instant Pectin (I use Ball Brand)

Directions:
Wash berries and drain in colander. Mash berries with potato masher until juicy.
To a saucepan add: mashed berries, sugar, and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat for approximately 5 minutes or until sugar is dissolved.
Remove from stove and place mixture in bowl and mash berries again until desired chunkiness.
Add instant pectin; stir mixture for 3 minutes.
Place mixture in freezer jars (leave an inch of room at top of jar for expansion) and cool completely before storing in fridge or freezer. 
Jam will congeal after several hours.
Store in fridge for up to 1 month. Store in freezer for up to 1 year.