Can Jam 6 – Berries: Blueberry Mojito Jam

This is the third and final installment of my Blueberry Trilogy prepared for Tigress’ Can Jam. It’s a tribute to Miami and the Latin vibe that’s such a big part of what the area is today. And of course, my summer blueberry fixation!

The lime and mint (can’t get any more local than my backyard!) in this jam is gently refreshing – not overpowering – and the subtle hint of rum gives it a bit of that tropical quality. A Caribbean vacation on toast! Oh, okay, maybe not a whole vacation, but you just might hear a palm tree rustling in the breeze as you take a bite…

Blueberry Mojito Jam (makes about 10 half-pint jars)

Ingredients:

3 limes
3-3/4 cups water (divided)
3 cups sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/8 tsp. baking soda
3 dry pints (about 6 cups) blueberries, washed and de-stemmed
1 pkg. pectin
1/2 cup rum
10 4″-5″ sprigs of fresh mint

Preparation:

Wash and dry the limes and slice a thin strip off of each end.

With a mandoline or hand slicer (don’t forget your cut-glove!), shred the limes finely and place into a large, non-reactive saucepan. Add 3 cups of the water and bring to a boil. Continue to cook at a boil for 10 minutes.

Add the sugar and lemon juice, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the baking soda. The mixture will foam up suddenly, but will subside.

Add the blueberries, cover the pan, lower the heat to medium and cook for an additional 20 minutes.

In the meantime, wash and dry the mint sprigs, and cut or pinch off the top 1-1/2″-2″ of each sprig. Reserve those tips you just cut off.

Add the large mint sprigs and the rum to the jam, stir, and return to a boil on medium, for another 5 minutes.

In a small saucepan, dissolve the pectin in 3/4 cup cold water, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Stir the hot pectin liquid into the still-boiling jam for one minute. Remove from the heat while you perform the “freezer wrinkle test”. Place a small amount of the jam 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 the jam wrinkles up, you’re ready to jar. 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.

Remove the large mint sprigs before ladling the hot jam into the hot, sterilized jars. Push one of the reserved mint sprig tips into each jar of jam. Seal each jar with appropriately prepared new lids, screw on the rings finger-tight, and process in a boiling-water canner for 10 minutes.

Remove the jars from the boiling water, allow to cool, and wait 24 hours to test your seals.

Go ahead – take a bite!

Have you checked out Part One: Blueberry Marmalade and Part Two: Grand Marnier Blueberry Peach Sauce?

Print this post for your Moleskine journal