Blueberry Lavender Jam
Blueberry Lavender Jam, versatile and delightful, this jam redefines traditional spreads, adding a touch of sophistication to cheese platters or inspiring inventive culinary creations.
Servings: 3 x 8.5 oz. jars
Equipment
- large pot
- wooden spoon
- pestle optional
- potato masher
- potholders, oven mitts, trivets for hot dishes
Ingredients
- 3 pounds fresh or frozen blueberries
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup powdered pectin
- 1 medium size lemon
- 5- 6 stems of fresh lavender
Instructions
- Thoroughly wash the blueberries, ensuring you drain excess water from the blueberries before starting the jam-making process. Pick flowers from the lavender stems. Discard the stems and seed pods. Zest the lemon and squeeze juice from ½ of the zested lemon.
- In a suitable-sized pot, combine sugar with lavender. Using pestle or a spoon mesh lavender with sugar to extract lavender oil. Add blueberries, lemon zest and lemon juice.
- Using a potato masher, lightly mash the blueberries. Allow the mixture to rest for about 1 ½ hours, or even overnight, to allow the flavors to infuse. Cover the pot with a lid during this resting period.
- Stir in the powdered pectin and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-low heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and skim off any foam that forms, if desired.
- Let the jam simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and set the jam aside for at least two hours. It's preferable to do this in the evening and allow it to sit overnight. Repeat this step twice or three times for thicker jam consistency. Alternatively, you can simmer the jam for about 35 minutes or until it reaches your desired consistency.
- (!) While the jam is cooking, begin preparing the Mason jars. It's important to have your jars ready at this point, because the next step, filling them with piping hot jam, must follow immediately.