Looking for recipes for Blueberry Jams, butters, etc w/ a twist

18 years ago

I have an over abundance of blueberries - 45 POUNDS about!

That's what happens when you take 4 kids to U-pick LOL

So I'm looking to make some preserves, butters or anything else so that I can either can, preserve or freeze these babies through the winter.

I've frozen about 10 pounds already, made a huge batch of Spicy Pacific Blueberry Chutney, made the Epicurios BB pudding for dinner last night and the CI blueberry pie for dinner tonight.

I love recipes with a twist but I'm not good at coming up with them.

Please share your cool and unusual recipes with me or even just your tried-true-and-well loved recipes.

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Comments (3)

doucanoe
18 years ago
Here is one that was posted here last year by someone...(sorry, I am usually good about saving the name of the OP... maybe RobinKate?)

I haven't made it yet, but if I can get my hands on some good blueberries, I will this season!

Blueberry/Peach/Frangelico Jam

2 cups blueberries
1 cup sugar
2 peaches, peeled and diced
2 tbls lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon rind
2 tbls Frangelico

Put all ingredients in a pan except Frangelico. Cook on high until it boils, then simmer 25 minutes or until thick. Add Frangelico, cook 5 more minutes, ladle into jars, 1/2 inch headspace. BWB 10 minutes.

Linda
adoptedbygreyhounds
18 years ago
You asked for something different, lol. I haven't made this particular recipe, but several other recipes from this book have turned out well.

"Blueberry Liqueur"
from "Cordials from Your Kitchen"

Part of the appeal of fruit liqueurs is that they come in such a wide variety of beautiful colors. Even if blueberry cordials didn't taste so good - and they most decidedly do - they would be worth making for their color. Serving blueberry cordials from stoppered, cut-glass cruets is a treat for the senses. They look, smell, and taste delightful.

2 cups fresh bleberries, picked over and washed
1 cup sugar
1 cup 100-proof vodka
1/2 cup brandy
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice

Place berries in a clean 2-quart jar and add sugar. Crush berries with wooden spoon and let stand for 1 hour. Add vodka and brandy, tightly cap, and shake vigorously. Add corn syrup, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Cover and let stand in a cool, dark place for 2 weeks.

Use a fine-mesh strainer to strain out solids. Discard. Transfer liqueur to clean container and let stand for 1 week. Rack or filter into final container. Age for 1 month more before serving.

Yield: Approx. 1 quart
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Thank you for the advice and reassurance :) I tried it last night ... turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself! It is one of my first jams so I was fairly happy that it worked. I made 8 cups of fruit, and only used 1 package of pectin (which is only half what they recommend) but I figured that plums are a high-pectin fruit apparently and can be used without any pectin ... so I only put enough for the cherries. It "set" really well so I guess that was ok. I used basically the recipe I posted above except only 2 cups of sugar. It is certainly sweet enough like that but I was just worried because the sugar is meant to be the preservative, and I wanted there to be enough to be safe to store. If I used 2 cups of sugar with no-sugar-needed pectin and 8 cups of fruit, how long will it last on a shelf? Regular Jams usually seems to last a couple years, would this reduced-sugar option be less? I used allspice which was really nice with the plums and cherries. Tastes more like a fall jam than a summer one but that's ok ... it will keep till then. Next time I will try vanilla, that sounds incredible too!! Liqueurs are a great idea too, I hadn't even though of that aside from the Red Wine that was in one recipe I found. Thanks! I only had ground allspice but I understand what you mean about the cloudy jam ... mine doesn't seem to be (yet) but I will definitely keep that in mind and look for whole spices that can be removed :) So if I was going to use Sugar instead of Fruit Juice, would I just substitute it 1:1 Cup? The cherries seemed to be juicy enough without much added liquid so I don't think I'd need the juice for liquid. Next up (tonight hopefully) is Raspberry - Lemon Jam. Again, high pectin fruits so will try using 8 cups of fruit and only 1 pkg of no-sugar-needed pectin with 2 cups of sugar. Raspberries are pretty juicy too, I think.
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Annie, Our governor here in Washington just signed the Cottage Food Law in July, 2013. I checked the requirements for your state and they are, fortunately for you, much more lenient than ours. We have to pay $230 annually; have a limit of $15,000 income (you're at $20,000, and go up to $25,000 in five years); and I can NOT use my separate canning kitchen ... because it's not part of the same building as my home. Go figure! (The canning kitchen doesn't have home cooking, or animals, or children, and there's no co-mingling with anything else.) And don't you just love not being allowed to sell ICE? That just doesn't make sense to me either! However, at least we have this law here now, and that's helping many people. But for me it's fine, because I don't sell my items; I donate them to the church and gift them. It's just something that I enjoy doing for myself and for others. That's why my costs of $1.25 to $1.50 per jar is fine. I'm fortunate because I have so much fruit in my orchard; I'm great at finding sales; I enjoy the time I spend creating things and "prettying up" the jars, labels, etc. The time I spend doing this pleases me; the $300+ I spend on supplies is just another donation or gift to St. Luke's so they receive the full purchase prices; and, everything I make is appreciated by those who purchase and use the products. I had to freeze some fruit because I wasn't well enough to do anything right after my surgery 8 weeks ago -- so I have cherries, raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries in the deep freeze. I'm half-way through my goal of 20 dozen jars ... still have to make: Cherry preserves; Peach-Brown Sugar Jam; Blueberry Jam; Apple Butter; Apple Pie Jam; Dill Pickles; canned Italian Plums; Italian Plum Jam with Triple Sec; Pear Honey; Pear Chutney; Apple Chutney; Watermelon Pickles; Raspberry Jam; ... and anything else I decide I just MUST DO! I'm donating a dozen jars of each variety, and keeping several of each for my use and gifting. I've enjoyed reading all of your comments and appreciate your recipes. Just wish I could make and (legally) sell some of your Salsa! But at least I can enjoy it for myself and friends! Kathy
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robinkateb
18 years ago
I am not the original poster of the blueberry mango frangelico, although it is on my to try list. I think Carol or Annie first posted it. Carol also has a great spiced blueberry ajm recipe, I could post it if I was at home. Here is a recipe for Blueberry lavender jam, as well as notes from when I first made it.

-Robin

Blueberry Lavender Jam

2 tablespoons dried lavender flowers
1 11 1/2- ounce can frozen white grape juice concentrate
3 cups fresh blueberries, washed and drained
1. Make a lavender sachet: Cut a piece of cheesecloth into a 6-inch square, place lavender in the center, and tie into a bundle with kitchen twine.

2. Cook the jam: In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, bring lavender sachet, grape juice concentrate, and blueberries to a boil. Stir constantly to prevent burning until the berry mixture jells -- about 20 minutes. (To test whether mixture has jelled, place a teaspoonful on a plate and let cool to room temperature. Lightly touch the berry mixture with your finger to see if it has consistency of jelly. If not, continue to cook for 10 more minutes and check again by using the same test.) Cover and steep for 2 hours.

3. Store the jam: Remove the lavender sachet and discard. Divide the jam between 2 pint jars. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month

Note: To modify it so I could can it I just simmered it with the lavender for 20 minutes than removed the lavender (which I had in a teaball). I also made one where I soaked the lavender overnight in the grape juice, yuck too much lavender.

Looking for recipes for Blueberry Jams, butters, etc w/ a twist

Comments (3)

doucanoe

adoptedbygreyhounds

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robinkateb

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