Category Archives: Canning

It’s July and I am still picking blueberries from our bushes in the yard!  I decided to make this easy jam to give as gifts to my friends.  These 4 oz jars are the perfect size for sharing. I know they will love it.

By Pat Savoie

Ingredients

4 1/2    cups        blueberries

2            Tbsp        lemon juice

7           cups         sugar

2           pouches  Certo (pectin)

Method

Pulse blueberries in food processor or mash by hand until you measure 4 1/2 cups.  Pour in a large, deep stainless steel saucepan and add lemon juice.  Stir in sugar and heat until mixture comes to a full rolling boil (one that won’t stir down), stirring constantly.  (Be careful, hot mixture will rise quickly when it comes to a boil)  Stir in both pouches of Certo and return to a full boil, then boil for exactly 1 minute.

Savoie's Blueberry Bushes

Remove from heat and ladle into prepared jars.   Wipe rims and apply lids.  Finger tighten bands.  Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.  Cool jars on the counter. Lids should pop when sealed.  If lid does not seal, return to simmering water bath for 15 minutes.

Be sure to check out our other jam recipes.  Click on the Canning category to browse them.

Here’s something you can’t buy in the store. This recipe for luscious strawberry and blueberry preserves spiked with orange liqueur is sure to impress.  The blueberries give the jam a beautiful rich color and it tastes fantastic!

The red of the strawberries, blue of the blueberries, and white of the apple look so patriotic together. Why not celebrate the Fourth of July with a jar of this jam?

recipe by Ina Garten, contributed by Elizabeth Savoie Dronet

Ingredients

• 3 pints fresh strawberries
• 3 cups superfine sugar
• 2 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)
• 1/2 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and small-diced
• 1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Method

Place the strawberries in a colander and rinse them under cold running water. Drain and hull the strawberries. Cut the larger berries in half or quarters and leave the small berries whole. Place the strawberries in a deep, heavy-bottomed pot such as heavy Dutch oven and toss them with the sugar and orange-flavored liqueur.

Bring the berry mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Add the apple and blueberries and continue to keep the mixture at a rolling boil (a boil that won’t stir down), stirring occasionally, until the jam reaches 220 degrees on a candy thermometer. This should take 25 to 35 minutes. You may need to increase the heat if the temp doesn’t start rising over 212 degrees.

Skim and discard (or eat) any foam that rises to the top. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature and then store covered in the refrigerator. It will keep refrigerated for at least 2 weeks. To keep the jam longer, pack it before it cools and seal in canning jars and boil in hot water bath for 5 minutes.

Waiting for it to reach 220.

Boiling Water Bath:

Ladle hot jam into clean, hot canning jars.  You can use 4 oz, half-pint, or pint jars.  The recipe makes about 4.5 cups (2 pints) with a little left over to keep in the fridge. You can also can that extra half cup in a 4 oz jar.

Be sure to leave 1/4 inch headspace between the jam and the top of the jar.  Wipe the rims clean, center lids, and screw on bands until finger tip tight.  Process jars in boiling water for 10 minutes, making sure water covers the jars at least an inch.  Turn off heat, and let jars rest in the water for 5 more minutes.  Remove and set aside for 24 hours.  Check lids for a good seal.  Store in a cool dark place for up to 1 year.

You may also like our Orange Marmalade and Pepper Jelly.

Your'e never too young to help Nana and Pops pick blueberries. Here's Sophia making sure they taste okay.

Mom made several 4oz jars. Perfect for gifts.

Blueberries from our yard are always ready to begin harvesting the first week of June.  Kent and I made this wonderful recipe that I found at freshpreserving.com.  “Citrus fruits enhance the rich, earthy flavor of blueberries in this luscious, royal blue conserve.  Serve it with bread or as a condiment with ham or smoked meats.”  We spread it on bagels right as it came out of the pot.  Yum!

By Pat Savoie

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Ingredients

4        cups       sugar
2        cups       water
1         small      lemon (unpeeled), seeded and thinly sliced
1/2    cup         orange (unpeeled), seeded and thinly sliced
1/2    cup         raisins
4         cups      blueberries
4         8oz        half pint jars with lids and bands

Method

Waiting for 220

1.  Simmer jars and lids in boiling water until ready for use.  Set bands aside.

2.  Combine sugar and water in a large, deep stainless steel saucepan.  Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar.  Add lemon and orange slices and raisins.  Reduce heat and boil gently for 5 minutes.  Add blueberries, increase heat to high and return to boil.  Boil hard, stirring constantly, for 5 to 10 minutes, until mixture thickens. (220 degrees on a candy thermometer)  Skim off foam.

3.  Ladle hot conserve into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace.  Wipe rim.

Aren't the oranges and lemons beautiful?

Center lid on jar.   Apply band and adjust until fit is fingertip tight.

4.  Process filled jars in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.  Remove jars and cool.  Check lids for seal after cooled.  Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.  Store up to 1 year.

Be sure to browse our other recipes for preserves by clicking on the Canning category.

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Kent carefully fills the jars.

Blueberries from our garden!

Between my in-laws and my grandparents, I’m up to my ears in oranges each January.  I am very thankful for their generosity because my own satsuma tree has only produced one fruit in its four-year existence.  I guess we didn’t inherit an orange thumb.

I love this marmalade recipe because it breaks up the task over three days.  The long soak softens the rind and removes the bitterness of fresh peel.  Best of all, this recipe is so simple.  All you really need is sugar, water, and oranges.

We love orange marmalade on hot Buttermilk Biscuits.

Contributed by Elizabeth Savoie Dronet from the book Put ’em Up! by Sherri Brooks Vinton

Ingredients:

6 large oranges or 7 smaller oranges such as Louisiana Sweets
2 1/2 cups water
About 3 cups of sugar
3 whole cloves or 2 Tbsp fresh grated ginger or 1 lemon (optional)

Method:

1.  Scrub the oranges and remove a slice from each end.  Cut oranges into quarters and remove any seeds.  Slice thinly.  Place in a non-reactive (meaning don’t use aluminum or copper) soup pot.  Pour 2 1/2 cups of water over the oranges and press down to release some of the juice. Cover the pot with a tea towel and set on the counter overnight. **Sometimes I also slice one lemon and added it to the mix.

2. The next day, bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes.  Cool, cover, and return to counter overnight.

3. (If you plan to can, put a large pot of water to boil for the boiling water bath while you work on the following and have hot jars ready.) On the third day, measure the mixture and return it to the pot with an equal amount of sugar.  It should be about 3 cups.  Add 3 cloves or ginger if using. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring frequently, until the marmalade gels.  This should take about 30 minutes.  Cool for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to release air bubbles. Skim off any foam and discard cloves.

4.  Ladle into clean jars.  Refrigerate up to 3 weeks or process using a boiling water bath.

This recipe filled two pint jars.

Boiling Water Bath:

Ladle into clean, hot canning jars.  You can use 4 oz, half-pint, or pint jars.  The recipe makes about 4 cups. Be sure to leave 1/4 inch headspace between the marmalade and the top of the jar.  Wipe the rims clean, center lids, and screw on bands until finger tip tight.  Process jars in boiling water for 10 minutes, making sure water covers the jars at least an inch.  Turn off heat, and let jars rest in the water for 5 more minutes.  Remove and set aside for 24 hours.  Check lids for a good seal.  Store in a cool dark place for up to 1 year.