USDA MEDIAN BERRY · 12.7 mm · 1.5 gFREE · NO SIGN-UP
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Preserves

Small-Batch Blueberry Jam

Prep10 min
Cook25 min
Total35 min
YieldAbout 3 cups · three 8-oz jars
DifficultyEasy

Ingredients

  • 2 lbfresh blueberries (about 6 cups)≈ 604 median blueberries
  • 1 1/2 cupsgranulated sugar
  • 3 tbsplemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
  • 1 tsplemon zest
  • 1/4 tspfine salt

Steps

  1. Combine blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, zest, and salt in a heavy wide-bottomed pot. Stir to coat.
  2. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes — the sugar will draw out the blueberry juice.
  3. Place a small plate in the freezer (you'll use this to test the set later).
  4. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often. Once boiling, mash about half the berries with a potato masher or the back of a spoon.
  5. Continue boiling, stirring frequently to prevent scorching, for about 15–20 minutes. The jam should thicken and reduce by roughly a third.
  6. Test the set: drop a small spoonful on the cold plate. Wait 30 seconds, then push it with your finger. If it wrinkles and holds its shape, it's done. If it runs, cook another 2–3 minutes and test again.
  7. Ladle into clean 8-oz jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate.

Notes

  • Refrigerator jam keeps for 3 weeks. For shelf-stable jam, process sealed jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
  • No pectin needed — the lemon juice and cooking time do the work.
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A 100-gram serving of blueberries contains roughly 160 mg of anthocyaninsLaid end-to-end at 12.7 mm apiece, it would take about 30 billion berries to reach the MoonThe world's largest blueberry weighed 16.2 grams — a Guinness record set in Australia in 2020Wild lowbush blueberries are about 40% smaller than cultivated highbush onesThe United States and Canada together produce roughly half of the world's cultivated blueberriesA 100-gram serving of blueberries contains roughly 160 mg of anthocyaninsLaid end-to-end at 12.7 mm apiece, it would take about 30 billion berries to reach the MoonThe world's largest blueberry weighed 16.2 grams — a Guinness record set in Australia in 2020Wild lowbush blueberries are about 40% smaller than cultivated highbush onesThe United States and Canada together produce roughly half of the world's cultivated blueberries