A first attempt at blueberry preserves

As I mentioned a while ago, one of my Christmas presents this festive season was a book on making jams, pickles and preserves. My mum was also unable to let me go back home after my visit to their house without a load of food, including a pack of blueberries.

So, that's one pack of blueberries, and one recipe book which includes a recipe for preserved blueberries in it. Can you guess what happened next? The individual with the closest guess will win a jar of preserved blueberries.

I say 'preserved blueberries', but blueberry jam might be more like it - it's basically just blueberries, sugar and lemon juice, cooked up til its thick and sweet.

I somewhat overestimated how much jam I made, hence why this jar's half empty. (Although I'd forgive you if you thought I'd just sat there with a spoon and worked my way through the preserve before I remembered to take a picture - it was something I'd been contemplating for a while.)

It was a bit of a shame that I didn't cook up more of the preserve - it was so rich and juicy, and so easy to make, I think I'll be coming back to this recipe again before too long.

Alas, preserved blueberries will just have to get in the queue behind all the other interesting recipes that I found in the preserving book. Next stop, pickled okra?

8 comments

Cadry's Kitchen15 January 2013 at 16:15
I definitely wouldn't have blamed you if you'd eaten your way through half a jar of blueberry preserves! As much as I enjoy the store-bought varieties, I'm sure homemade must be fantastic!
foodfeud15 January 2013 at 16:36
I love blueberry jam (wrote "ham" at first - that not so much!) It's good on everything, even a spoon. And do post more of what you make from the book, it sounds interesting. I vote YES on pickled okra. You can eat that with a Bloody mary!
Andrea15 January 2013 at 22:03
You should make hot cereal for breakfast and heap a spoonful of preserves on top. Or bake a cake and heap ... you get the idea. Or just heap it onto a spoon and enjoy. :D
Theresa16 January 2013 at 00:43
Oh, I wish blueberries were even remotely local to here. By the time they make it up to our shops they taste not very nice. I wonder if frozen would work for preserving...
Caitlin16 January 2013 at 07:34
I've never made homemade jam as it always sounded difficult for some reason but you make me want to try! I bet it's amazing!
Allysia18 January 2013 at 06:41
Ha ha ha, moms are the best. And I've never made jams before either! But they seem super easy, and I'm sure homemade wins over store-bought. Totally do up the pickled okra!
urban vegan18 January 2013 at 07:23
You know, I see that jar as half full ;) It's always fun to try something new and inspiring from a new cookbook. The jam/preserves look delish.
Richa27 January 2013 at 21:03
i love blueberry preserves. that color and the taste. i can imagine myself eating half a jar too and then getting a sugar high!. ahh.. pickled okra.. i cant wait for that!