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Blueberries and blueberry jam with bread

Homemade Blueberry Jam with Honey

Preserve the fresh taste of summer all year long with this easy and delicious recipe.  Learn how to can homemade blueberry jam with honey to store on your pantry shelf with this step-by-step guide.
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Servings 8 half-pint jars

Equipment

  • Water Bath Canner
  • Large Pot
  • Canning Funnel
  • Jar Lifter
  • Ladle
  • Immersion Blender
  • Bubble Freer Tool - used to remove bubbles after you fill the jars
  • Canning Jars - half-pint sized jelly jars
  • Canning Lids and Bands
  • Kitchen Timer
  • Permanent Marker

Ingredients
  

  • 10 cups Blueberries
  • 1 cup Lemon Juice
  • 1¾ cups Honey -add more if you like a sweeter jam
  • 4 tsp Pomona's Pectin
  • 4 tsp Calcium Water -calcium packet comes with the pectin

Instructions
 

Prepare Your Jars, Lids, and the Water Bath Canner:

  • Wash the jars, lids, and bands in hot soapy water and rinse well.
  • Place the canner in the sink and fill the jars and canner with water.
  • I always add a splash of vinegar at this point.  My water is very hard, and it leaves a white film on my jars.  It doesn’t hurt the jars, or the canning process.
  • Turn the stove on to gradually heat the water and jars in the canner until it starts steaming.
  • Sterilize your jars if you will be canning for less than 10 minutes.
  • Measure all of your ingredients and have it ready to add to the pot when needed.  Make sure your pectin is fully mixed into your honey before you begin cooking the berries.

Cooking the Blueberries:

  • Place the fresh or frozen blueberries and place in a large pot.
  • Add a little water to the bottom of the heavy bottomed pot to begin cooking down the blueberries to soften them.
  • Stir often so they don’t burn on the bottom of the pot.  Use an immersion blender to chop the blueberries into smaller pieces. Do not chop it smooth. You want some pieces to make a good jam.

Adding Additional Ingredients:

  • Add lemon juice and calcium water to the blueberries and stir well.
  • Add the honey and the pectin to the blueberries and mix well.
  • Continue stirring until it comes to a boil.  Boil for 2 minutes and remove from the heat.

Fill Up the Jars:

  • Fill each jar to 1/4″ headspace.
  • Remove the bubbles by sticking the tool inside of the jar multiple times.
  • Using the bubble freer tool, use the measurement side to make sure that you have the correct headspace in the jar.
  • Wipe the rim of the jar with a soft cloth dipped in vinegar.  The vinegar will help to cut through the sticky jam to make sure your lid has a good seal.
  • Run your finger on the rim of the jar and feel for any knicks or cracks on the jar. Do not can with these jars. You will not get a good enough seal to make it shelf stable.
  • Place the lid on the jar.
  • Add a band and finger tighten it.

Adding Jars and Canning:

  • Place the jars onto the rack. Carefully lower the rack into the water.
  • Make sure the jars are not touching each other and the water is covering all of the jars by 1-2 inches.
    If there is not enough add hot water to the hot canner and don’t pour it directly on the jars.
  • Place the lid on the canner.
  • Bring the canner to a full rolling boil with the lid on.
  • Continue the full rolling boil for the full 10 minutes (adjust for your altitude)

After the Time is Done:

  • When your time is up, turn off the heat and let the canner sit for 5 minutes with the lid on.
  • Remove the lid and wait another 5 minutes. Don't get in a hurry or your jam could siphon out of your jars and wreck your seal.
  • If you have a canning basket, carefully lift the basket to the top of the canner and hook it on the side.  After it is secure, you can begin removing the jars.
  • If you are using an insert from a pressure canner, you can just start pulling the jars out of the water.

Taking the Jars Out of the Water:

  • Use a jar lifter to remove the jars from the water.
  • Make sure you don’t tip the jars as you are removing them from the water.
  • Place the jars on a towel.  Do not set them directly on the counter.  The change in temperature could cause the jars to crack, not to mention the high heat could damage your countertop as well.

Successful Water Bath Canning:

  • Leave the jars on the counter undisturbed for at least 12-24 hours. Do not be tempted to touch the lids and see if they have sealed. This can give you a false seal and your jam could spoil.
  • The next morning, remove the bands and test each of the lids.  I do this by poking the top to see if the center moves, AND by picking each jar up by the lid to make sure it is secure.

Label and Store:

  • Make sure you LABEL EACH JAR with a permanent marker!  Write the contents of the jar as well as the date you canned it.
  • Always store your jars with the bands removed.
  • Store the jars in a cool dark location for up to a year.

Water Bath Canning Altitude Adjustments

    1,001-3,000 Altitude in Feet

    • Increase Processing Time: 5 minutes

    3,001-6,000 Altitude in Feet

    • Increase Processing Time: 10 minutes

    6,001-8,000 Altitude in Feet

    • Increase Processing Time: 15 minutes

    8,001-10,000 Altitude in Feet

    • Increase Processing Time: 20 minutes

    Notes

    Homemade Blueberry Jam with Honey FAQ
    I get a lot of questions about the recipe for canning blueberry jam with honey. Here are a few common questions and their answers to help you out!
    Can I cut this recipe in half?
    Yes, you can!  You can cut it in half or even double it.  It is not recommended to do this with most pectin's, but with Pomona's Pectin you have the freedom to do as you'd like.  Just remember not to do more than your canner will hold at one time.
    What kind of pectin should I use?
    I only use Pomona’s Pectin in my homemade jams and jellies.  This is a special type of pectin that doesn’t require a ton of sugar to set up.  This pectin uses a calcium powder that is mixed with water make liquid calcium water.  This is used in addition to the pectin and any sweetener you add.  
    I also prefer this pectin because you can use ANY kind of sugar with it.  I always use honey, but maple sugar is one I would like to try out in the future.  This pectin will work perfectly for both, and I can buy it in bulk and store it in a jar versus having lots of little packets all around.  
    Why do I need to store my jars with the bands removed?
    You want to store all of your home canned food with the band removed. If your jar does have a false seal, by leaving the band in place, it could trick you into thinking that it is actually sealed. If you have a loose lid on a jar that you cannot pick up by the lid only, you will definitely know your seal is bad.
    What if I don’t have enough jam to completely fill a jar to 1/4″ headspace?
    If you have extra jam set it aside to eat immediately. You can leave it in the pot until it cools or ladle it into a jar or heat safe bowl and store in the fridge to eat immediately.
    You do not have to can this to be safe to eat, only to be shelf stable.
    What is the difference between jam and jelly?
    Jam usually contains the whole fruit and is usually pretty thick and has chunks.
    Jelly is made from straining the juice through a fine sieve or cloth, and then canned. This has a jiggly kind of consistency and doesn’t contain any of the fruit’s chunks.
    Both can be made using a low sweetener pectin, like Pomona’s Pectin.
    Do I have to make this big of a batch?
    No. You can easily half or quarter a batch of jam using Pomona’s Pectin. This type of pectin also gives you the freedom to double or triple a batch of jam too!
    Keyword Blueberries, Food Preservation, Water Bath Canning