lemongrass + lavender blueberry jam……

 

 

 

 

 

After 3 batches of simple blueberry jam, we are starting to get adventurous. I had my heart set on ginger, but didn't have it in the house. I did have lavender though. And lemongrass. Both dried herbs in the cabinet. I remembered the lavender peach butter from a few summers ago and I was instantly inspired. 

It turned out pretty good. Delicious in fact. Even the guy of the house gave it a thumbs up and he's not a huge lavender in his food fan. The floral flavor of lavender pairs beautifully with the berries. And the lemongrass just takes the whole thing to gourmet. You could certainly do one or the other. (I'd vote for the lavender, it's that good.)

 

Lavender + Lemongrass Blueberry Jam

20 cups blueberries

1 cup lemon juice

3-4 cups sugar (depending on your taste)

1 cup lavender blossoms (dried)

1 cup lemongrass (I used dried)

1 box Pomona's Pectin

 

Mix three cups of sugar with the pectin powder and set aside. Mix calcium powder with water & set aside. Add fruit, lemon juice & dissolved calcium powder water to a large pot. Cook over medium heat until the berries begin to break down and get saucy. Stirring often to prevent sticking. Puree the berries in a blender or with a handheld wand. (be careful blending hot liquids! only fill the blender half way.) Add the pureed berries back to the pot with dried herbs. Cover and let steep 3-4 hours. Strain the mixture to remove the dried herbs. I use a fairly wide mesh strainer to do this. It won't let the herbs through, but all the good blueberry pulp gets through so you still end up with jam. A smooth jam, but still jam. Bring the strained mixture to a boil and stir in the sugar-pectin mixture. I like to use a whisk for this part to avoid any clumps of pectin. At this point, test for sweetness. Add more sugar if you like. Bring the jam back up to a boil. Fill sterilized hot jars with the jam, leaving a quarter inch head space. Process the jars for ten minutes in a hot water bath.

This is a huge batch. It uses an entire box of Pomona's pectin. I only make huge batches. The jam jar count must be worth the hot mess that jam making is, right? But you might not have kids who sneak this and eat it with a spoon. ahem~ So feel free to halve or quarter it for smaller amounts. It makes about 8 pints of jam. (I made 5 half pints, 5 pints, and had a tiny bit left over for the fridge.)

If you're not using Pomona's, you can still add herbs to your jam the same way. As with any canning, please follow all instructions on your box of pectin and be safe.

Here's hoping this jam brings a smile to your face and warm memories of summer when you eat it slathered thickly on toast sometime this winter.

xo,

s