Blueberry Jam and My Preserving Pan

July for me means it is time to make Blueberry Jam and Mint Jelly.  Unfortunately, the mint in our garden has been taking a beating from both the heat and some kind of bug so nix the mint jelly this year.  But Blueberries are such a “Jersey thing”.  If you drive down into South Jersey on Route 206 toward Hammonton you will see endless blueberry fields and stands selling blueberries and blueberry plants. 

And Blueberry Jam is so easy to make.  After the summer, opening a jar of Blueberry Jam takes you right back to those hot July days.  For the past twelve years I have been a total jamoholic.  I started a journal and began teaching myself how to make jam (I could not find a class to take at that time).  That first year I made 34 different jams and jellies; this year I am at 4 including taking (for the first time) the marmalade class in England.   At this point, I have collected over 25 books on preserving and jam making, but overall my favorites are always the British recipe books.  They are so much more authentic.

Over the years, I have learned a few things – but most important has been investing in a good preserving pan (one where you are fairly certain that you won’t burn the jam or have it spill over the sides of the pan when the jam is in the rapid boiling stage – all of which I have done.  Cleaning up jam off a stovetop is no fun task).   

My favorite pan is the one I bought from England back in 2000 when you could not really find a decent pan in the United States.  Today, you can find great pans (sometimes called Maslin pans) at William Sonoma, Lee Valley and Amazon, to name a few. Here’s to the summer of 2012 and another fine batch of Blueberry Jam – almost always guaranteed to be made in sweltering summer heat when the lilies are in bloom.