In a Jam

We have a local retailer that I like to think of as the last chance food shelter called Mikes Discount Foods. This is basically a place to get food that is still good but has issues that your local megamart will not accept. So I am up to my eyeballs in blueberries and peaches and thought, well its pie or jam time. So I am in a jam for jam. I have found a basic jam recipe, done some research and called my mom for advice and have given it a whirl with no sugar using Splenda and half raw sugar and half Splenda. I am not planning on canning this jam but freezing or refrigerating it.

Nutritional Lowdown
For the Sugar/Splenda Version
1 oz equals 51 calories
Splenda Only
1 oz equals 16 Calories

Recipe Revelations:
Both recipes yielded a tasty full flavored blueberry jam. Adding raw sugar makes the jam taste like, well jam. The Splenda tastes like Splenda and Jam. If you can hack the 51 calories from sugar, go for the low sugar version. Yields 3 16 ounce containers.


For this you will need:















Foodstuffs:
3 pints of blueberries
4 cups of sweetener such as Raw Sugar/Splenda
1/2 cup of water
1/4 cup of lemon juice
1 package of either liquid or powdered pectin

Equipment:
measuring cup, both liquid and dry
silicone spoon or spatula
metal spoon

heavy bottom pot or pan, large enough to hold mixture plus at least a few extra inches
mixing bowl
Mashing device such as potato masher, blender or food processor.
Jars or tightly sealing containers

Start by adding blueberries to bowl and smashing the bajezus out of them. Add sweetener, water and juice and let sit for around 10 minutes. If you are chunk adverse you could whiz them up in the blender after they have mingled with the sweetener/liquid mixture. I like chunks so after their soak they went into a non reactive heavy bottomed pan.

Before adding the entire mixture I strained off about half a cup of the juice and mixed the pectin into it. Following the directions on the package, I let it boil with the pectin for 1 minute before adding the rest of the blueberry goo. Put the metal spoon in the freezer or in a glass of ice water at this point.

After the pectin and entire blueberry mixture comes to a boil set a timer for 5 minutes. Do not wander off to answer the phone or find the cure for cancer while waiting for it to boil or while it is boiling. The mixture can and will go Vesuvius on you and the stuff is like napalm on bare skin, so use caution and keep the kiddies out of the kitchen. After 5 minutes insert the cold spoon into the hot liquid and check to see if it has set to your desired consistency. It should hold a line down the back of the spoon and not drip when it is ready. For the half sugar/half Splenda mixture I found that I needed another minute before it got to a jam like consistency. With the Splenda only mixture I found 2 things, first that the whole mixture took longer to come to a boil and that I needed a full 8 minutes before it got to the same consistency as the half and half mixture.

To be safe, check at the five minute mark and then every 2 minutes until the desired consistency is reached. As a warning, do not simmer this mixture in lieu of boiling as you will render the pectin ineffective and also do not boil it too long as with boiling all sugar syrups, the more you boil it the harder it will set. I was once given a jar of jam the consistency of rock candy, not good.

After the mixture has come to the desired consistency, follow directions on the link above for canning or place in containers that can be tightly sealed. I like the Ziploc 16 oz. screw top containers or a large commercial plastic container.

I am letting the jam set out on the counter until cool then will refrigerate and report back with the results. Some recipes I researched said to leave the jam out over night but that seems to be a bit dicey food safety wise if you are not canning it.

Photo Notes:








Adding blueberry and liquid pectin together



















Waiting to Boil













As the Blueberry Boils, Caution!!










The Spoon Test