Blueberry Lemon Jam Recipe

If you love the mellow flavor of blueberries, and tang of lemon, this blueberry lemon jam will be perfect for you!

It doesn’t just include lemon juice, but whole lemon, so you get the full-bodied flavor of the pulp and the lemon zest.

Blueberries are one of the easiest fruits to make jam with – there’s no need to peel, chop, or de-seed. Just measure, crush, and boil.

And while I love classic blueberry jam on biscuits or toast, my kids don’t think it has enough pizazz for their beloved peanut butter and jam sandwiches.

Which is why I initially started toying with the idea of a blueberry-lemon version.

And it works y’all! This jam is so good, and the flavor doesn’t get lost in the mix on a sandwich.

Ingredients needed for blueberry lemon jam

• Blueberries
• Lemons
• Sugar
• Fruit Pectin

For this, and most jams, I use powdered fruit pectin. With few exceptions, it’s not really worth attempting to develop the natural pectin in fruit. Most fruits simply do not have enough natural pectin. Most pectin is derived from apples, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to add apples to all of my jams. It’s also not completely reliable. There’s so much variation from fruit to fruit! Riper fruit has less pectin than greener fruit, and so on.

So, while it is an ingredient to buy, I’m very much a fan of purchasing pectin, whether liquid or powered, when making jam I intend to stock my pantry with.

The same can be said for sugar. While you can buy pectin for sugar-free jams and jellies, and I do for my diabetic, and otherwise diet-restricted friends and family members, for most of us, we’re eating about a tablespoon of jam in a serving. So for me, traditional jam with sugar in it is A-okay.

How to Make Lemony blueberry jam

1. Select ripe, but firm blueberries. Measure into a large pot (at least 4 quarts), and crush. You can do this using a potato masher, or an immersion blender.
   
   
2. Quarter, and thinly slice lemon, and add to crushed blueberries along with powdered fruit pectin.
   
   
3. Stir until pectin is fully combined.
4. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
   
   
5. Once fruit is fully boiling, add sugar, all at once, and stir until sugar is dissolved.
   
   
6. Continue heating until mixture returns to a full rolling boil.
7. Boil for one minute, and remove from heat.
   
   
8. If needed, skim foam from top of the jam into a bowl. You can save this for later use. It’s perfectly good jam! It’s just full of air bubbles, so not great for canning, and not the prettiest on your jar.

How to Can Blueberry Lemon Jam

1. After making jam, be sure to skim foam from top.
2. Prepare sterile canning jars, along with lids and rings.
3. Ladle jam into jars, leaving about 1/2 inch headspace, and using a canning funnel to keep jar rims clean insofar as you can.
   
   
4. Wipe jar rims with a wet paper towel, or soft cloth to remove any stray drops of jam or debris.
5. Screw down lids and rings firmly.
6. Prepare water bath canner with hot water. Be sure to insert canning rack into canner to protect jars from the direct heat source.
7. Place jars into canner, and check water level to make sure the water reaches a depth of at least 1 inch above the jar tops.
8. Place lid on canner, and heat over medium-high heat until it reaches a full, rolling boil.
9. Process (boil) pints 20 minutes, or half pints 15 minutes.
10. Remove from heat, and let cool.
11. When jars are cool enough to handle, remove from water bath.
12. After 24 hours, check for seal, wash jars if needed, and store in a cool place out of direct light.

Canning supplies for canning jam

Jam is one of the simplest things you can can. It is canned using the water bath method, so no need for a pressure canner.

What is a water bath canner? Simply a pot that is large enough to fit a rack of some sort (this can even be a folded towel), and the jars, while being tall enough for water to completely cover jars, and boil without spilling over.

You can find stock pots, tamale pots, or buy a water bath canner from most large farm stores, or even Walmart, or oder one from Amazon.

Is there another way to can jam? Yes. But do be aware that heating via water bath is the most reliable way to preserve jams, and the only way approved by the USDA. The other ways are:

• Ladling boiling jam straight into jars, screwing down the lids, and turning jars over for 9 seconds to sterilize the lid. Flip the jars right side up, and let cool. As the jar cools, it will vacuum seal.
• Paraffin wax. After putting the hot jam in jars, top is with 1/3 inch of melted paraffin. This preserves by sealing out air/germs. Most of us are probably vaguely familiar with this method as the way our grannies canned jam. I’m not the biggest fan of paraffin however, so I avoid this method.

Other supplies needed.

• Jars. Any canning jar will do. I usually use half pints for my jams, but if your family is larger, you may want to use pints.
• Lids. I use Denali canning lids. This lids have a guaranteed seal, and while I wouldn’t hesitate to take them up on their guarantee, so far, I haven’t had to, and it is so nice to have every jar seal, and see my hard work put to good use.
• A canning funnel. I’m pretty minimal with my canning equipment, but this is one I couldn’t live without. With it, you can fill jars faster, and keep your rims clean.

That’s pretty much it.

Other recipes you’ll enjoy:

• Raspberry Peach Jam
• How to make Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
• Carrot Cake Jam
• Strawberry Jalapeño Jam
• How to make apple Jam

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