Harvest season for the beautifully pigmented wild blueberry is about to commence, meaning the small window to enjoy the colorful, fresh bounty of the season is just beginning. During this short harvest, Wyman’s of Maine, a family-owned grower and distributor of wild blueberries, quick-freezes 11,000 acres of their wild blueberries within 24 hours of gathering, locking in the fruit’s fresh flavor and character. Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) at peak ripeness, Wyman’s wild blueberries are frozen separately to keep the fruit closest to its natural freshness. With nationwide distribution, Wyman’s makes it incredibly convenient to secure these delicious wild blueberries outside of Maine.
Small, tart, and deliciously juicy, wild blueberries are jam packed with antioxidant compounds found within their deep-blue pigments. Unlike the cultivated blueberry, wild blueberries are only grown commercially in Maine and eastern Canada, they can’t be planted, and are hand-harvested in fields. They’re only In season for just over two months, and can’t be shipped fresh because of their delicate, thin skin.
In honor of the blueberry harvest, Wyman’s of Maine sent me some free product vouchers, so that I could pick up some of their blueberries to make one of my favorite recipes…home canned blueberry jam! When using frozen berries, you’ll want to place them into a strainer under cool running water for about 10-15 minutes to help them thaw. Then proceed with the instructions below.
Canning – Homemade Blueberry Jam Recipe
4-5 lbs. blueberries (9 cups crushed berries)
6 cups granulated sugar
Prep: Wash berries under cold running water and then drain. I like to let mine sit in the colander for about 5 minutes to make sure all of the water drains away. Coarsely crush blueberries one layer at a time using a potato masher. You will need 9 cups of crushed berries.
Cook: Combine the crushed berries and granulated sugar in a large stock pot. Bring the mixture to a slow boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook rapidly to gelling point of 220 degrees F, stirring to prevent sticking. Use a thermometer to make sure you reach the correct temperature to meet the jelling point. Please note, your mixture might “splat” and it will be hot, so wear oven mitts while stirring it to prevent those “splats” from burning your hands. Remove from heat and skim off any foam that formed.
Fill: Ladle hot jam into hot jar, leaving a 1/4″ headspace. Remove air bubbles and wipe the jar rim clean. Place the seal and band onto the jar, adjusting until it’s fingertip tight. Place jar on the rack elevated over simmering water in your water bath canner. Repeat until all of your jars are filled.
Process: Lower the rack into the simmering water. The water needs to cover the jars by at least 1″ in depth. Adjust heat to medium-high, cover the canner and bring the water to a full rolling boil. Process half-pint or pint jars for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove cover and let the jars cool for 5 minutes while sitting down in the water. Remove jars from the canner. Lay a towel out on your counter and place the jars on top. Let them cool for 12 hours.
Check to make sure all jars are sealed. You can now store them in your pantry closet or kitchen cabinet until you’re ready to use them. Once you open them, refrigerate them! They will keep up to 1 week in the refrigerator. Since there are no preservatives in them, make sure you use them up.
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I am going to try this using a sugar substitute for hubby who has diabetes
The wild blueberry fields are amazing, so pretty all year round. In autumn, they’re a gorgeous red–you have to see it to believe it. I didn’t get out to pick any blueberries this year, and I really missed them. Now you’ve got me thinking I should get some frozen berries. Your lovely jars of jam are making me jealous.
I remember, as a kid, watching my Grandma can a lot of different foods. It would be nice to try that myself.
Oh my, these blueberries look lovely, don’t they? I’m more of a dehydrator than a canner for preservation. I did some dehydrating last week and with the cooler weather, feeling like storing food–funny how the weather does that. Any fruit like this on sale is on my radar!
My Mother used to can all kinds of foods. I’ve never canned anything and don’t have the equipment.
We dont get many blueberries in our neck of the woods so frozen would be how we do it too. I really like the taste of blueberry jam, and havent made it for years! I recall this didnt need pectin, one of the few that dont and turn out well. This would be great on anything from toast to ice cream! Yumm it sounds good!
I love making jam. You aren’t using any pectin? how is it holding up?
Nope and it turned out perfectly fine!
This homemade blueberry jam recipe sounds delicious, especially with all the fresh blueberries.