I went PYO berry picking again, this time for blueberries, raspberries, red and black currants, and unexpectedly, jostaberries (see the next post on that). And so I decided to make some more jam. This one is a variation on your typical blueberry jam, but I added lemon and lemon thyme. It doesn’t really taste thyme-y, just clean and fresh with a hint of “what’s that flavor?” Summer in a jar.
Ingredients
4 cups fresh, ripe blueberries (3 pints or so)
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon very finely chopped fresh lemon thyme
3 cups sugar
1 package low sugar pectin
3 teaspoons vodka
Directions
Using a food mill, crush about half of the blueberries, keeping the remaining intact into a 6-8 quart sauce pot. Add lemon juice, thyme and sugar. Place over high heat and stir until mixture comes to full boil. Cook gently 3 minutes. Add in the fruit pectin and boil for exactly 1 minute more. Remove from heat, skim off foam with metal spoon, ladle into jars to 1/8 inch top of jars. Cover with a clean dish towel and let cool completely.
Drizzle 1/2 teaspoon of vodka into each jar and swirl to cover the surface layer of jam. Seal tightly. These will stay good in the refrigerator for about 2 months. If you want to last longer, can/seal your jars per your usual canning procedure.
