Jam On It! Blueberry Edition

I've been waiting for Friday all week. That's because on Friday Von's was marking down 2lb. packages of blueberries to $5. That may not be the best deal around, but it's the best deal I know of around here. I bought 3 packages. With one and about three quarters of another, I decided to try my hand at some blueberry jam. I also froze a quart for muffins and pancakes, and left about a pound fresh in the fridge for eating now. Loaded with antioxidants, blueberries are a Super Food, and I like to get as many of them in us as I can.

I used this link to guide me along. I started with 10 cups of fresh berries, and rinsed them and picked them over for random stems or squishy ones.

Then, Lyndsay ran them through our food mill.

The very smooth puree came out through the screen and the peels came out the other end.

Since there is so much nutrition in those dark blue skins, and since they're really not waste like some other skins, I decided to put them in the blender and add them to our puree. I suppose I could have saved time by just putting all the berries into the blender to begin with, but I was just winging it. The directions I was following said you could just mash the berries up in the pan, but I prefer very smooth jam, so that's why I went this route.

Mixed all together, it was the most beautiful color. We added the pectin, lemon juice, and water, and brought it to a boil, and then added the rest of the sugar. After another boil, I tested it on a spoon to make sure it would gel once cooled. It did, so we ladled it into the sterilized jars, and put them in the water bath for 5 minutes or so.

Now I have 5 1/2 more pints of jam to add to my pantry! I can't wait to taste it on homemade bread!