Yes! It’s that time of year again…blueberry jam making time! Let me first start by explaining the title of the post…as I was making the jam this song kept popping into my head:
Consider it the theme song for my jam-making festivities! This year I didn’t pick the blueberries but they are the next best thing…fresh, frozen blueberries from Wyman’s that my mom picked up for me while on vacation in Milbridge (near Machias, the blueberry capital of Maine). So, they are Maine blueberries and they are delicious!
Please notice my brand-new food processor in the picture above, which was a housewarming gift from my friend Christina, who just so happens to be the #1 fan of my blueberry jam! It made crushing the blueberries so much easier than my old way, crushing them by hand with a potato masher! You can find a very detailed tutorial on how to make this blueberry jam here.
As I don’t yet have a canning system, I didn’t put my jars in a water bath but simply ran the jars and lids through the sterilization cycle of my dishwasher then filled them, sealed them, and inverted them until I could no longer ‘pop’ down on the lid. They will stay fresh until they are opened but the jam should be eaten within a month to make sure it doesn’t spoil. I haven’t found this to be a problem since I filled them into 4oz jars and people usually devour the entire thing in a day (you know who YOU are!).
After the jars cooled, I flipped them over and decided to add pretty labels. I used Photoshop to design and print out a pattern onto cardstock. Then I used a 2-inch punch to cut out circles to place between the lid and rim of the jar top. Although I didn’t do this, another option would be to print the design on sticker paper and adhere to the top of the lids and/or use Modge Podge to seal the paper so that it is more moisture resistant.
