Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Wild Blueberry Recipe - Wild Blueberry Jam


It takes a whole lot of time to gather wild blueberries in quantities large enough to make a single batch of thick, dark, sweet jam. We visited 3 different sites to pick enough, and the jam is worth the effort. I like it spread on scones and bread with butter. Wild blueberries are not quite as juicy as cultivated ones, and this jam is loaded with skins, making a very chunky product. I also always try to use low-sugar pectin. I like to taste the real fruit, but I also like to make sure the jam or jelly sets, since we put so much labor into gathering the berries.


Wild Blueberry Jam             makes about 8- 8 oz jars

6 1/2 c. washed, stemmed, crushed wild blueberries
3/4 c. water
4 1/2 c. sugar
1 box low-sugar Sure-Jell pectin

1. Wash, remove stems, and crush the blueberries by hand or with a potato masher in a large pot. There will be very little juice. Add 3/4 c. water to the berries.
2. Mix 1/4 c. of the sugar with the pectin in a bowl. Add to the crushed berries and bring to a rolling boil, stirring often.
3.  Add all of the remaining sugar at once, stirring to dissolve. Bring the jam back to a boil, and cook 1 minute.
4. Ladle into sterilized jars, seal, boil 10 minutes in a water bath to seal. Cool.

4 comments:

Mary said...

Thanks for the recipe! It looks yummy, we have just returned from a blueberry picking trip and now I know what I am going to do with them!
Love your website!

Mike said...

Thanks for the recipe. I've been foraging blueberries at work and have been looking for something to do with them.

Tammy said...

Just discovered your blog looking for this recipe for wild blueberries foraged while camping in PA. Great recipe that is simple in highlighting the berry! Found too many recipes with lime juice which my wild berries didn't deserve. As a fellow Nutmegger, I'm loving the info! I didn't realize just how many wild edibles I had in my woods. I won't go for shroons but there is a fair number of other things out there. Thanks!

The 3 Foragers said...

Thanks, Tammy. We are lucky to have the bounty of New England within our reach.