Home Canning Blueberries with Recipe and Tips

Last month I obtained 16 packs of fresh blueberries from the local Farmer’s Market at a bargain price! I got 16 large packs for only $10.00. Wow, what a deal. Once I got home I decided to process the blueberries in a light syrup so that I could use them later on in various recipes. You can use them in breads, muffins, cakes, fruit crisps, cobblers, ice cream, yogurt, fruit pies, etc.

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Prep – Wash all blueberries with water removing stems and debris. Toss out any damaged berries. You want to use fresh, plump, non-damaged berries so that you have the best results when canning them. Let the excess water drip away while you get your canning items together.

Tips – You will need a water bath canner, glass mason jars, basic canning accessories, old kitchen linens, etc. when making this recipe. I do recommend that you wear a kitchen apron or old t-shirt when working with blueberries. The juice can stain your clothing and kitchen linens. I opted to use pint size glass mason jars but you could certainly can them using quarts.

Home Canning Blueberries Recipe

Fresh Blueberries 
Water
1 2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. fresh or bottled lemon juice

Prepare the water bath canner, glass mason jars, seals and rings. Make sure you have at least 2″ of water to COVER THE TOP of the jars in the canner. 

Fill a large pot with water bringing it up to a full boil over medium to high heat. Add the blueberries and simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Drain away the water. I place them in a colander and let cold running tap water run over them to cool them down quickly.

In a large saucepan combine together 4-6 cups of water, granulated sugar and the lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. You need to get the granulated sugar to dissolve so that you have a light syrup. Stir in the blueberries. Turn the burner down to warm heat. 

Ladle the blueberries into a pint size mason jar adding the syrup as you go along. Leave a 1″ headspace at the top. Remove air bubbles. Wipe the jar rim, add the seal and the ring. The ring needs to be adjusted until it’s fingertip tight. Place filled jar into the prepared water bath canner. Continue until all jars are filled.

You need to have at least 2″ of water covering the tops of the jars. Place the lid on the canner. Bring it up to temperate using high heat to get the water boiling. Process the jars for 30 minutes. Remove the canner lid. Let the jars sit in the hot water for 5 minutes and then remove them from the canner. I like to place them on a cotton towel sitting on my kitchen counter to cool.

Jars need to sit untouched for 24 hours. Don’t be tempted to touch them or move them. After 24 hours check to make sure all of the jars are sealed properly. Label and date. If any jars didn’t seal you’ll need to refrigerate and use the contents or re-process using a new seal.

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