Blueberry jam

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Blueberry jam

Ingredient Notes

Blueberries:

Fresh or frozen both work. If you’re using frozen, don’t thaw them first, just toss them through the sugar straight from the freezer. Wild or smaller berries tend to have more flavour and a touch more natural acidity than the larger cultivated ones, but use whatever you can get.

Sugar:

I keep the sugar low because I want the blueberry flavour up front, not a sugar hit. Standard white sugar is fine. The trade-off is that this isn’t a long-life shelf preserve like a high-sugar jam, so it lives in the fridge rather than the pantry.

Fennel pollen:

Fennel pollen has a soft aniseed and floral flavour that works really well with blueberries. If you can’t find it, swap in a couple of whole star anise or a cinnamon stick added at the one-hour mark of the cook, then fish them out at the end. A split vanilla bean works too.

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Ingredients

1kg (2.2 lbs) blueberries (I used 2kg [4.4 lbs])
200g (7 oz) sugar
60ml (2 fl oz) apple cider vinegar
1 tsp fennel pollen (star anise also works great)

Equipment

Chopping board
Chef’s knife
Large mixing bowl
Tea towel
Large heavy-based pot
Wooden spoon
Sterilised jam jars with lids
Tongs

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Directions

Wash the berries well and then drain. Place the berries into a bowl with the sugar and mix well. Cover with a tea towel and leave at room temperature for 3-4 hours.
Next, place the berries and any liquid that has come off into a large pot. Over medium-high heat, bring to a simmer and add the vinegar. Then, turn the temperature down to medium-low and cook until it thickens. This will take about 2 hours. Once you’re at this stage, you can add the fennel pollen (if using star anise or cinnamon, place them in at around the one-hour mark).
Sterilise your jam jars by boiling them in water for 5 to 10 minutes. Pour the hot jam into the jars and place a lid on. Let them cool to room temperature before you place them in the fridge.
The jam will last in your fridge for up to 6 months unopened and 1 month once opened.

Notes

Chef Tips

Give the berries time with the sugar

Leave the berries with the sugar for the full 3 to 4 hours before you start cooking. In that time the sugar pulls a lot of juice out of the fruit, so you start the cook with a syrup already in the pot. The flavour is more concentrated and you don’t need to add any water.

Keep the heat gentle

Once it comes to a simmer, drop the heat right down. A hard boil will scorch the bottom of the pot, dull the colour and break the berries down to mush. A gentle bubble for the full 2 hours gives you the right thickness and keeps some texture in the fruit.

Storage

Pour the hot jam straight into sterilised jars and seal the lids while everything is still hot, then let them cool to room temperature before the fridge. Sealed jars keep for up to 6 months in the fridge. Once you’ve opened a jar, use it within a month. You can also freeze the jam in clean containers for up to 12 months, just leave a centimetre of headspace for expansion.

FAQs

Can I use frozen blueberries?

Yes, and you don’t need to thaw them. Toss them through the sugar straight from the freezer and rest at room temperature as usual. They’ll release plenty of liquid as they thaw and macerate, and the cook works exactly the same way.

Why doesn’t this jam set firm like store-bought?

Because the sugar level is much lower than a traditional jam, it relies on cooking down rather than a sugar-pectin gel to thicken. You’ll end up with a softer, looser jam that tastes more of the fruit. If you want a firmer set, you can stir in a teaspoon of pectin in the last 10 minutes of the cook.

Can I use a different spice?

Yes. Star anise, a cinnamon stick, a couple of cardamom pods or a split vanilla bean all work well. Drop whole spices in at the one-hour mark and remove them at the end so the flavour doesn’t go bitter.