Blueberry jam for the winter

Blueberry jam is an excellent vitamin dessert that can be prepared for the winter during the berry season. It is prepared for every taste: classic, simplified or not requiring cooking at all, flowing or thick, from whole or pureed berries, with and without various additives. One thing is invariable: no matter which option the culinary specialist prefers, the result will definitely be a healthy, tasty and fragrant sweetness with the aroma of summer.

Benefits of blueberry jam

Blueberries are a real storehouse of useful properties, many of which it retains even in the form of jam:

• vitamins C and K, contained in the pulp of this berry in a significant amount, as well as a number of amino acids – natural antioxidants that prevent cell aging, improve memory and brain activity, remove radioactive compounds from the body;
• organic acids have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the stomach, intestines, liver and gallbladder, increase appetite;
• the presence of vitamin E in the composition maintains vision and improves skin condition;
• thanks to saponins, the risk of inflammatory processes is reduced;
• pectins cleanse the body of toxic substances;
• betaine, which has an anti-sclerotic effect, lowers the level of bad cholesterol in the blood;
• a wide range of trace elements (primarily potassium and calcium, as well as iron, sodium, magnesium and phosphorus) regulates the function of hematopoiesis, strengthens the walls of blood vessels, normalizes metabolic processes.

It is not recommended to use blueberry jam and fresh berries:

• nursing mothers and children under 1,5 years old: this product can cause diathesis in babies;
• people prone to allergies, as unpleasant consequences can manifest themselves in the form of skin irritation, runny nose or itching.

Features of making blueberry jam for the winter

In order for the jam to please with an excellent taste and not fail during storage, first you should responsibly approach the choice of the main ingredient:

• you need to buy hard, strong berries with a plain blue skin color and a slight whitish coating on it;
• suitable blueberries will not stick together (this can be seen if you shake the package slightly);
• berries should not be crushed or damaged, and also have traces of mold or rot;
• if you have to buy frozen blueberries, you need to make sure that they lie freely in the briquette, in bulk, without forming large pieces – that is, they have not been re-frozen.

Before preparing blueberry jam, you should sort it out, removing spoiled specimens, leaves, stalks, and then rinse under running cold water.

It is not recommended to use copper or aluminum utensils for the preparation of berry blanks. It is best to choose brass, steel or enamel wide pans or basins.

Blueberry jam for long-term storage should be packaged in glass jars, previously washed cleanly with soda in warm water and heated over water vapor (5–7 minutes) or in an oven (about 10 minutes with a gradual increase in temperature from 100 to 180 degrees).

It is advisable to boil the tin lids with which to roll up or tighten the container for 5-10 minutes.

Blueberry jam “Five minutes”

Many valuable substances remain in this jam, since it spends only five minutes on fire:

• 1 kg of washed and sorted berries should be covered with the same amount of sugar;
• leave for a day, so that they let the juice;
• put the container with the mass on moderate heat and, stirring constantly, let it boil well;
• boil for 5 minutes, turn off the fire;
• immediately pour into sterilized jars, close with lids, wrap in a warm blanket and let cool.

Easy Blueberry Jam Recipe

Blueberry jam according to this recipe is really easy to prepare: nothing is required except the berries themselves, sugar and a small amount of water. It will take a little longer to cook it than the “five-minute”, but then the banks are then quietly stored on the shelves in the pantry.

Preparation:

• put the prepared berry in a bowl for cooking;
• separately in a saucepan, heat water, add sugar and, stirring, wait until it dissolves and boils;
• pour the berries with prepared syrup and let stand for 10 minutes;
• put the basin on the stove, bring the jam to a boil and cook on the quietest fire for 20 minutes, stirring it from time to time and removing the foam;
• Arrange hot in sterilized jars, roll up, wrap and let cool.

blueberry jam recipe

Many people like blueberry jam thicker – such that, as they say, “there was a spoon.” Its secret is also simple: there is more sugar and no need to add water.

Preparation:

• pour sugar into a container with berries;
• lightly crush them with a potato masher – so that about a third is crushed;
• let stand for half an hour to separate the juice;
• put on the stove, bring to a boil and cook for about 15-20 minutes;
• pack in ready-made jars, cork with lids and let cool (in a blanket).

Frozen blueberry jam

If you want to cook blueberry jam, but the berries are not fresh, but frozen – it doesn’t matter! The delicacy will turn out to be no less tasty. At the same time, the berries do not even have to be washed and sorted out – after all, they went through this stage of preparation before going to the freezer.

Preparation:

• pour the berries into a container, cover with sugar;
• keep on low heat, stirring occasionally, until boiling;
• remove the foam, turn off the stove and let the jam cool completely;
• once again bring the mass to a boil and hold for 7-10 minutes on a medium-strength flame, not forgetting to stir;
• Arrange the finished product in sterilized containers, seal and leave to cool.

This will allow you to check the tightness of the blockage and also additionally warm the inside of the lids.

How to cook blueberry jam with honey

To complement the usual taste of blueberry jam with exquisite notes, honey added instead of sugar and a small amount of rum will help.

Preparation:

• the berries must be heated over low heat until the juice is released;
• honey (after melting) should be added to them and mixed;
• boil the mass for 5 minutes (from the moment it boils);
• pour in rum, mix and hold on fire for no more than half a minute;
• pour into prepared jars, closing them with lids (nylon or metal);
• store cooled jam in the refrigerator.

Blueberry jam with gelatin

Delicate, quivering blueberry jam in the form of jelly, flavored with lemon juice, will appeal to many, especially children.

Preparation:

• pour the berries with water – so that the liquid completely covers them;
• boil and boil for a couple of minutes;
• strain the broth through a sieve;
• wipe the berries through the grate and add to it;
• dissolve gelatin in 2 tbsp. l. cold water, add to a slightly cooled broth and mix thoroughly;
• pour in lemon juice;
• strain the mass and pour into small, cleanly washed jars;
• sterilize the product in a water bath, covered with metal lids;
• after the end of the process, roll up the jars, wrap tightly (in a warm blanket) and let cool completely.

Pigeon jelly (with gelfix)

In order to get an excellent berry jelly, you can use Gelfix, a thickener based on natural pectin. It significantly reduces the cooking time of blueberry jam, retains its taste and color well.

Preparation:

• lightly press the berries with a pestle or pusher to let the juice go, put on fire and boil for 1 minute;
• grind the mass with a blender;
• mix “Jelfix” with 2 tbsp. l. sugar and add to blueberry puree;
• bring to a boil over medium heat, add the remaining sugar and, stirring, cook for 5 minutes;
• at the end of cooking, remove the foam;
• put the mass in sterilized jars, twist, leave to cool.

Pigeon jelly without gelatin

Blueberry jam in the form of jelly can be prepared without the addition of gelatin and thickeners. This berry is rich in its own pectin, which will help the product retain its density and density. However, in this case, more sugar will be required, and the boiling time should also be increased.

Preparation:

• berries (previously prepared) grind into puree;
• add sugar and citric acid to the mass;
• put on the stove and after boiling, cook for 20-30 minutes over low heat, stirring and making sure that it does not burn;
• Pour the boiled thick mass into sterilized jars and roll up tightly.

How to get the most vitamins

The so-called “live jam” undoubtedly has a number of advantages over preparations that require boiling. It completely preserves the useful and nutritious substances that raw berries are rich in, and does not require additional time spent standing at the stove.

But it should be taken into account that the shelf life of such jam is short. In addition, at the stage of preparing blueberries, you should especially carefully sort them out, rinse and dry them. Even one low-quality berry can completely ruin the resulting product.

Blueberry jam without cooking

Of course, according to this recipe, blueberry “jam” can only be called such only conditionally – after all, in fact, the berry remains raw. However, this preparation for the winter is extremely healthy and tasty. The hostess should definitely give her time during the season along with traditional jam.

Preparation:

• bring water to a boil, add and dissolve sugar in it, add citric acid;
• sterilize and dry the container for storing the workpiece;
• put the berries in a jar, pour hot syrup and roll up;
• after cooling, place the resulting “jam” in the refrigerator.

Blueberries in sugar

Fresh blueberries in sugar are a real treasury of vitamins and a feast of taste, reminiscent of the generous abundance of summer in the harsh winter. It should not be boiled, but it will have to be frozen.

To do this, with berries, previously slightly mashed in a bowl, you should fill the container in layers, sprinkling the layers with sugar. After that, the container must be tightly closed and put in the freezer.

Blueberries mashed with sugar

You can prepare sweet blueberry puree for the winter using a blender or sieve. The more sugar is added to the workpiece, the longer it can be stored. Most often, the recommended ratio of berries and sugar in such recipes is 1:1.

Preparation:

• grind the berries into a homogeneous mass (if a sieve is used, it will be necessary to discard the cake);
• add sugar (to taste) and a little citric acid to the puree;
• transfer to a clean jar, close the lid;
• store the finished product in the refrigerator.

Assorted berries, or what you can combine blueberries with

Blueberry jam does not have to be monocomponent. The cook can use a little imagination by combining it with other berries or spices.

You can, for example, make blueberry jam with mint, as shown in the video:

This berry is also excellent “friends” with wild strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, strawberries, raspberries. She makes a very tasty ensemble with apples and citrus fruits. As for spices and spices, most often, in order for blueberry jam to acquire an original flavor, they use ground cinnamon, vanillin, ginger (in powder form), crushed cloves, lemon or orange zest.

Blueberry and apple jam

Thick blueberry and apple jam is easy to prepare. It will delight you with its original taste and pleasant aroma. At the same time, the given ratio of ingredients makes it much cheaper than a similar product, which contains only blueberries.

Preparation:

• grate the washed apples (on a coarse grater), sprinkle with sugar and set aside for a quarter of an hour to let the juice go;
•  boil them for about 20 minutes;
• grind using an immersion blender, and hold on fire for another 15 minutes;
• add blueberries and grind the mass again with a blender;
• let simmer on low heat for 20 minutes;
• Arrange hot jam in sterilized jars, carefully roll up and let cool.

Blueberry jam with orange

Blueberry jam with the addition of orange juice is not only unusual in taste, but also extremely healthy: all its main components are famous for their high content of vitamins.

Preparation:

• in a saucepan, heat a mixture of lemon and orange juices, dissolve sugar, add cinnamon and zest;
• pour the prepared berries with syrup, wait until it boils, and keep it on low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring from time to time;
• let the mass cool well (about 12 hours);
• boil it again and, stirring, wait until it thickens;
• remove the cinnamon stick;
• pour hot into containers and roll up.

Blueberry jam in a slow cooker

An excellent assistant to a modern housewife who is about to make blueberry jam will be a slow cooker. It will significantly save time and eliminate unnecessary trouble: there will be no need to constantly monitor the berry mass, stirring and removing foam.

Preparation:

• pour the berries into the multicooker bowl;
• add sugar, mix;
• close the lid and set the device to the “extinguishing” mode for 2 hours;
• Arrange the finished jam in hot jars and twist.

Terms and conditions of storage of blueberry jam

The rules for storing different types of blueberry jam are easy to remember. Here’s what you should know:

• “Live” blueberry jam (just like “five minutes”) must be kept in the refrigerator;
• frozen product is recommended to be consumed within 8-10 months;
• jars with candied berries, sterilized in a water bath, can be stored in the refrigerator or cellar for about a year;
• blueberry jam prepared in the classic way is usually enough to be placed in a dark cool place (pantry shelves) and it will remain edible for 2 years.

Conclusion

If possible, you should definitely make blueberry jam for the winter. This berry contains a lot of useful substances and vitamins, most of which can be preserved in the workpiece. It is enough to choose the right recipe, pay attention to the preliminary preparation of ingredients and processing of containers, adhere to the technology of preparation and storage – and tasty, original, healing jam will take pride of place on the table in the cold season.