Can Jam 6 – Berries: Blueberry Marmalade

 

 

In a bit of epic timing, when Joel and Dana over at Well Preserved announced that this month’s Can Jam theme would be Berries, I was thrilled! Florida blueberries are in all the markets right now, and I’ve never seen them bigger and plumper – and less expensive!

So, of course I got a little carried away, and this is the first of three blueberry posts I’ve prepared for the Can Jam.

The first, is a Blueberry Marmalade, combining the best Florida has to offer right this minute – its blueberries and citrus. It’s a twist on the classic citrus marmalade and blueberry jam, and man! Is it tasty! The recipe I’m going to give you is adapted and modified a bit from Preserving the Taste by Edon Waycott.

Blueberry Marmalade (makes about 5 half-pint jars)

Ingredients:

1 large orange (preferably a juice orange, not navel)
1 large lemon
2-1/2 cups water
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 cups blueberries (washed & de-stemmed)
2 cups sugar

Preparation:

Cut a thin slice from each end of both the orange and the lemon.

With a mandoline or hand slicer (don’t forget your cut-glove!), shred the orange and lemon very thinly. Be careful to remove seeds as they appear. Place the shredded fruit into a large shallow pan with the water. Cover the pan and bring to a boil over high heat.

Cook on high for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Add the blueberries and sugar. Return the marmalade to a boil, and continue cooking for an additional 20 minutes. Most of the blueberries will burst during cooking, turning the mixture that pretty, dark purple color.

Remove from the heat while you perform the “freezer wrinkle test”. Place a small amount of the marmalade on small dish and put it in the freezer for 5 minutes, after which you push the mixture with the tip of a spoon or your fingernail. If it wrinkles up as a whole, you’re ready to jar it up. If it’s runny, put the pan back on the heat and cook at a boil on medium for another 5 minutes. Repeat the wrinkle test. The marmalade will thicken further as it cools, so try to avoid overcooking it.

Ladle the marmalade into hot, sterilized jars. Wipe the rims with a damp paper towel, seal with new lids and rings (prepared appropriately), and process in a boiling water canner for 5 minutes. Remove the jars and allow to cool.

Notes:

Shredding the citrus whole on a mandoline or hand-slicer is my now-preferred way to prepare it for marmalades. No more onerous zesting for me. Juicing oranges (such as Valencias), lemons, and limes, all have naturally thinner skins and zests, so you get the benefits of the whole citrus with very little waste and all the benefits.

Waycott’s original recipe calls for 1-1/2 cups of water, which I discovered boiled nearly completely away during the first 15 minutes of cook time. The original recipe also calls for 1/8 tsp. of cinnamon and a “dash” of freshly grated nutmeg. I omitted the spices simply because I don’t find those flavors consistent with the fresh fruit of summer.

Use this marmalade as you would any marm or jam – on toast, bagels, muffins, whatever! You see it pictured here on a toasted sesame bagel, along with my new favorite: Basted eggs. Yum!

Next up: Grand Marnier Blueberry Peach Sauce!

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