You don’t have to have to live out in the country or be a farmer to enjoy homemade jam. You also don’t need more than 30 minutes! My mom and I made this recipe for the first time together last summer and it resulted in jars full of smooth, antioxidant filled, sweet jam. For some reason, jam making seems like a summer thing to me, so today I made the recipe again. I love that over the next few months all I have to do is pop one out of the freezer, defrost it in the fridge for a day, and voila a fresh and healthy spread for toast, bagels, and peanut butter & jelly sandwiches.

©EverydayCookingAdventures 2013

Blueberries are getting more and more expensive these days, and sadly I find there are always some berries left on the bottom of the containers that end up squished and moldy after a few days. Making this jam recipe helps preserve the fruit and takes away any of that slightly-bitter taste blueberries sometimes have. I use a potato masher for the initial squishing of the berries off heat but switch to a wooden spoon for stirring the cooking mixture on the stovetop.

Look out for flinging purple liquid while the mixture slow-boils. I keep the heat down to medium (even medium-low) and no higher or else you might get a purple-tinged counter. TIP: Immediately scrub your pot and any drips on the counter with hot, soapy water after baking to not allow stains to set in! I let the jam cook for about 18 minutes, transfer the liquid to the jars (with a paper towel underneath in case of drips) and let them cool-down for about 15 minutes before putting on the covers and freezing them (and refrigerating 1 jar for immediate use!) Here’s my truly simple blueberry jam: #realsimple

©EverydayCookingAdventures 2013

Thanks to How Stuff Works, here’s how to remove berry stains from your wooden spoons (scroll to the bottom under WOOD): http://home.howstuffworks.com/how-to-remove-berry-stains.htm