Strawberry Blueberry Jam

Hi, it’s me.  I’m sorry I haven’t posted for awhile.  I’ve been busy.  It’s summer, you know?  Busy doing what, you ask?  Reading, gardening, admiring the weather, playing with Madeleine, swimming, beaching, walking…the stuff of summer.  I hope you have been doing the same. 🙂  Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

That being said, I have also been busy making jam.  I went to the local market this morning a picked up some beautiful blueberries and strawberries.  I made Blueberry Jam and Strawberry-Blueberry jam today–I’m going to add it to the shelf of Strawberry, Strawberry-Rhubarb, and Strawberry Vanilla I already have finished.

Jam isn’t nearly as hard to make as you might think–and if you use pectin, it takes less that 1 hour from start to finish…a great way to see the fruits of your labour, and you sure will be glad you did come a cold, dark January morning, when you open a jar and it smells like summer.

My mission this year with Foodivore is to inspire, teach, share and offer.   I want to inspire you to love food more, I want to teach you what you don’t already know how to do, I want to share the knowledge that I have accumulated about growing, cooking, baking, and I want to offer you a chance to purchase  items that you may not want to make yourself.

So here it is…a great example of all those things, if you don’t know how to make it, come take a class with me.  If you don’t want to make it, order a jar and come pick it up.  If you already know how and just want a new recipe to try, here it is–I created it this afternoon…

Strawberry-Blueberry Jam
1 cup crushed blueberries (will take about 1 1/2 cups whole berries–maybe a little more)
3 1/2 cups crushed Strawberries (about 2 quarts give or take)
1 pack Certo Pectin Crystals
7 cups sugar
1 tsp butter (optional–but it helps to cut down the foaming before you jar it)

Either crush berries a layer at a time, or pulse in your food processor.  I like my jam a bit chunky, so I don’t over process too much–that part is up to your own preference.

Combine berries and certo in a large heavy bottom pot.  Bring to a boil on high heat, stirring frequently.  Add all the sugar and butter and combine well.  Continue on high heat and bring back to a boil–stirring constantly.  When you reach a boil that cannot be stirred down, boil it hard for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and continue to stir for 5 minutes.   You are now ready to jar!  It should make 7-8 half pint jars.  Enjoy!

P.S.   a big thanks to  apumpkinandaprincess.com for use of the jam photos!