| Yield: | 6 (8-ounce) jars |
Ingredients
- 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.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 509 |
| Total Fat | 2 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g |
| Carbohydrates | 127 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 111 g |
| Protein | 1 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 21 mg |
Reviews
I live in Maine and have plenty of blueberries to cook with every year. Looking for something unusual to gift them as this year I thought “AB is the place to start” and boy am I glad I did. The color is gorgeous, the smell divine and the taste is wonderful. I didn’t have actual star anise on hand (must have used it up or tossed it out) so I substituted a dash of extract. I can only imagine how it would taste with the proper spice. I will be using this for many years to come and gifting it with the recipe. So much better than plain blueberry jam, even with wild Maine blueberries.
going to enter this in the fair this year
I started making fresh fruit jam a couple of years ago and this is the best recipe I have used yet! I didn’t have the star anise the first time I made it but it turned out fantastic without it so don’t worry if you don’t have it! My family loved it and need to make more now that blueberries are in season!
I really like this, but next time will halve the star anise.
A must “jam” for blueberry lovers !
WOW!!! This jam was better than anything I’ve ever bought in the store, and it took me a whopping 8 minutes to make!! I had to make a few small changes-my store didn’t have any star anise, so I just added the nutmeg; and I used splenda instead of sugar with the sugarless pectin. Jelled great, had great flavor and was the most beautiful purple color. This will be a staple…good bye Smuckers!
I thought that canning was so hard so I haven’t done it until I saw this show and I have been dieing to get in the kitchen. It was easy and it reminded me of my mom and grandmother in the kitchen doing this when I was a kid. Thanks Alton
I found this recipe to be really easy. The only difference I would make is to use a little less Apple Vinegar.
I found that there was a little too much vinegar for my taste, and it didn’t jell as much as I thought it should, but other than that, it was pretty good.
This jam is easy and tastey. The seasonings made it unique and raised it to a level above the expected, into the realm of Good Eats.