Oh, friends. All the heat and humidity and the bugs and the planting and the weeding and the watering and the sore body and the sunburns...it was all worth it! Because now, we begin the reaping! I have tender, succulent baby summer squashes, both gold and a Mediterranean grey (koosa), the first few ripe tomatoes (ok, only grape tomatoes thus far), and BLESS THEM, the good folks that sell sweet corn out of the back of their pick-up up the way are vending at last! We had two ears apiece at lunch; they were Lilliputian but ever-so-tasty! And of course, the attempts to preserve summer's bounty continue. Today's jam is one of the first flavors that I ever made, way back in the day, and it's still my very favorite: BLUEBERRY LIME! It's made with added pectin, so it might be cheating a bit, but it's so easy and so good! Truly, I have no idea why people buy their jam at the store, especially with all those preservatives added and high fructose corn syrup as the main ingredient. Ugh. When in less than an hour, you have jam for the rest of the year, through the dark, winter months when we all yearn for a taste of summer sun and sweetness. However, I will not be hoarding this batch for myself. I will be selling these jars at the farmer's market next Saturday (let's hope!), along with some of the strawberry-rhubarb, and perhaps my signature hot pepper jelly from the end of last year's harvest as well. Wish me luck!
Blueberry-Lime Jam
(Source: Ball's Blue Book)
4 1/2 cups blueberries (I prefer wild blueberries, if you can find them)
1 package (1 3/4 oz.) dry pectin
5 cups sugar
1 tablespoon lime zest, finely grated
1/3 cup lime juice (fresh, of course!)
Crush blueberries one layer at a time. Combine crushed blueberries and pectin in a large saucepot. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Add sugar, stirring until fully dissolved. Stir in grated lime peel and lime juice. Return to a rolling boil. Boil hard one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary.
Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 15 minutes in a boiling water canner. Yield: about 6 half-pints
3 comments:
You are evil and must be destroyed. How dare you make your blue berry lime jam just 10 hours before we make ours! Yes, we have 20 lbs. of blueberries resting in the fridge awaiting tomorrow mornings cuisinart/zest fest, despite the 110 degree temp. We are using your recipe from years past, but this is not right...you live in the tundra. You are not supposed to have these delicacies for months to come. What has gone wrong? Perhaps Senor Juan and I should be living near Plattsburg if the harvest times are the same? Amongst all my bitterness, I am glad for you and hope you sell out all your pies and jams tomorrow at the market.
XOK&J
Good luck, I hope you sell well.
Yes, you and John SHOULD be living near Plattsburgh....or, more to the point, I should be living in Oregon near you guys! One way or another, we should be closer to each other so that we can have big, communal, jam-making parties! :-D
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