| Total: | 35 min |
| Prep: | 5 min |
| Cook: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 6 (8-ounce) jars |
Ingredients
- Large stockpot or canning kettle
- Jar rack or cake cooling rack (for holding filled jars off the floor of the pot
- 6 (8-ounce) Mason style preserving jars with lids and bands
- Wide mouth canning funnel (technically optional, practically indispensable)
- Canning tongs (specially made for snatching jars in and out of very hot situations
- Large (8-ounce) ladle
- Paper towels or dishtowels
- Magnetized “lid-wand” or magnet tool from hardware store (optional, but how else you gonna get hold of those darned lids)
- Medium-large saucepan
- Wooden spoon
- Hand masher
- Nutmeg grater (optional)
- 2 (12-ounce) bags frozen blueberries
- One (1 3/4-ounce) packet dry pectin
- 1/4 teaspoon star anise, ground fine
- 10 to 20 grinds fresh nutmeg (or 1/4 teaspoon pre-ground)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 5 tablespoons (2 1/2 ounces) cider vinegar
- 3 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- For the jam: Place blueberries in saucepan over medium-low heat. Sprinkle with pectin followed by the anise, nutmeg, lemon juice and vinegar. Once liquid starts to gather in bottom of pan, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Lower heat slightly and boil gently for five minutes occasionally mashing mixture. Mash in sugar, add the water and return to a boil for 1 minute. You just made jam. Cool, jar, refrigerate and enjoy within 2 weeks. Or, move to the preserving phase. Preserving the jam: Thoroughly wash all hardware in hot soapy water. Then pile everything (excluding the jar lids) into the pot. Cover with hot water by at least 1-inch and bring to a boil and maintain for 10 full minutes to sterilize. Turn off the heat, wait 5 minutes then add the lids (waiting will insure that the sealing compound does not melt). Leave all hardware in the pot until you’re ready to can.
- Remove the ladle, tongs, funnel and other tools from the pot, (careful please, it’s hot in there) to a clean towel or paper towels. Using the jar tongs, remove and drain the jars, placing them on the towel/paper towel surface. (Avoid rock or metal surfaces which could result in thermal shock and breakage.)
- Place the funnel in the first jar (pick it up by the ring, avoiding the sterile interior.) Use the ladle to fill each jar just to the bottom of the funnel, about 1/3-inch from the bottom of the jar threads. This “headspace” is necessary for the jars to seal during processing.
- Wipe the jar rims with a moist paper towel, checking for any cracks or irregularities as you go. Use the magnetized device of your choice to position lids on each jar. Screw the rings on finger tight. (Remember, the rings don’t seal the jars they only hold the lids in place. Heat will drive out the headspace air, which when cooled will create a vacuum, thus sealing the jars)
- Return the jars to the pot being certain that they don’t touch the bottom of the pot or each other. (If you don’t have a jar rack, try a round cake rack, or metal mesh basket. Even a folded kitchen towel on the pot bottom will do in a pinch.) Add additional water if necessary to cover the jars by at least an inch, and bring to a hard boil over high heat according to the table below. (Be sure not to start your timer until a true boil is reached. The headroom air may bubble out of the jars before a boil is reached. Don’t be fooled.)
- Processing times: Within 1,000 feet of sea level: 5 minutes 1,000 – 3,000 feet above sea level: 10 minutes 3,001- 6,000 feet above sea level: 15 minutes 6,000 – 8,000 feet above sea level: 20 minutes Above 8,000 feet: wait until you’re back down at base camp.
- Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown
Reviews
I love alton brown but the star anise did not add a good taste. I added less sugar and some lemon juice and the tartness, texture, and taste of blueberries was great. Its just the star anise…it turned it from 5 to 4 stars
Good base recipe. I used half the vinegar and used pumpkin pie spice instead of anise and nutmeg.
I waterbathed an additional 5 minutes after consulting with a master canner to be safe. It’s delicious!!!!
I used balsamic vinegar instead of the cider vinegar, and I added it just to taste – about 2 tablespoons for this quantity of blueberries. 😉 The jam was good!
i took the liberty of reading the reviews before making this and with the changes i think it turned out incredible! i took out the vinegar, added 1/4 tsp of pumpkin pie spice, and it is divine. the recipe listed was far too sour for me though and usually i love Alton’s recipes.
Made minor alterations and LOVE IT
I just made 3 batches of this for the first time. Based on the other reviews, I only added 1T of vinegar and about 2-2.5 cups of sugar. Per other reviews too, I added 1/4t of pumpkin pie spice mix (cin, cloves, all spice, nutmeg, ginger) instead of just nutmeg. LOVE IT! I think the spices a very subtle lemon/vinegar really make this jam recipe unique and deeeeelicious!!
I’m holding on to this recipe and will make it again next time I go berry picking!
This is amazing! And strange. But amazing! I used fresh blueberries and half the sugar. I like it, hubs likes it. We put it in plain oatmeal, and I mix it in plain Greek yogurt. Not sure what else to do with it, but might try to find a savory recipes to use it in because it’s kind of like a savory jam (mine is, possibly b/c I left out half the sugar).
This recipe can be awesome, if you make a couple of adjustments! I used fresh blueberries. The amount of lemon juice I used was 2 oz., which was from 2 lemons. I cut the apple cider vinegar to 2 tablespoons. Instead of ground star anise, I put one whole star anise in the jam, and fished it out before canning. I also added 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp of allspice. Everything else was kept the same. Just make a few changes, and this jam is awesome! I see most recipes as guidelines, and you can always put your own spin on it.
I love Alton Brown. I make a lot of jam. This was terrible.
WATCH THE VIDEO first–Alton calls for 4 T of vinegar in the video instead of the 5 that are listed in the recipe… upon trying the first spoonful, my bff and I both winced in disgust at the burning sensation of our new cans of Vinegar Jam with subtle blueberry flavors.
WATCH THE VIDEO first–Alton calls for 4 T of vinegar in the video instead of the 5 that are listed in the recipe… upon trying the first spoonful, my bff and I both winced in disgust at the burning sensation of our new cans of Vinegar Jam with subtle blueberry flavors.
Made this just as the recipe states and it was amazing! Such interesting flavors that lend this to be not your every day jam! This is something special!
It was interesting…….I don’t care for anise so I used chinese five spice instead. It turned out a little more savory than I would have liked. I would use cinnamon next time. It will make a really good chinese flavored sauce though!