Preserving food is something that goes far back in my family, as far back as it does with most families from central Pennsylvania. Past generations grew up in this area with little money, so producing food was a necessity. Families would go hunting for protein, and summer gardens were the primary source of produce for the year. This blackberry blueberry jam will bring summertime to the middle of winter.
In my own family, my grandparents and all of their children knew how to can, and dry produce farm-to-table. My grandmother's Mason and Bell jars still float around our kitchens! Jelly recipes are cherished, each season we make different berry preserves. This Blackberry Blueberry Jam offers a new twist to the classic berry jams made in midsummer when the vines of wild blackberries and raspberries would bend under the weight of their fruit.
Mixing berries in jams and jellies is nothing new, but adding lemon and lavender gives these preserves a unique twist to a classic recipe. Lavender adds a delicate, elegant touch to the fruits. As always, we encourage you to play with the recipes that we share. Try using dandelions, violets, or even white clover blossoms to add character and aroma to this recipe.
How to Make Blackberry Blueberry Jam
See the full recipe card at the end of this blog.
These ingredients come together quickly and easily! Once your ingredients are gathered, it’s time to move on to making these blueberry muffins. Begins with preheating your oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with paper. The nice thing about making blueberry muffins is that you don’t have a lot of steps to follow!
First: Prepare the Tea and the Canning Process.
Make lavender tea by boiling water and pouring over organic food-grade lavender, allow to steep. Prepare canner and wash/sterilize two half-pints (or equivalent) mason (jelly) jars. Keep jars in heat until ready to use.
Second: Gather your ingredients
Place blueberries, blackberries, sugar, honey, and lavender tea in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan on low heat. Zest enough lemon to get one full tsp. of lemon zest. Cut the lemon that you just zested in half; squeeze juice from a lemon into a bowl to equal two teaspoons. Remove the rind and skin and seeds of the second lemon section lemon to expose just the lemon pulp, chop lemon pulp wedges into 1/2” segments. Mix two tablespoons of sugar with pectin and stir pectin sugar mixture into fruit mixture, and bring to a rolling boil over medium heat, stirring often. Boil, stirring constantly, 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low; stir in lemon zest, chopped segments, and lemon juice. Cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes; remove from heat. Cool 10 minutes.
Third: Test and Can the Black and Blue Jam
To test: put some jam on a spoon and place in the freezer to see if it jells enough Skim off any foam. Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch of headspace. Wipe jar rims and threads. Screw on lids and rings. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. (to seal) Remove from water and let cool completely (12 to 24 hours). Check seals. Any unsealed jars should be refrigerated and used within 3 weeks.
Fourth: Serve
We want you to eat this jam year-round. You will want to start right away because it's so delicious. I enjoy this Black and Blue Jam on our Healthy Blueberry Coffee Cake and our Blueberry Muffins.
Sweet Blackberry Blueberry Jam is also known as Black and Blue Jam
We always encourage you to play with our recipes and make them your own. Try adding in other fruits, or infuse different blossoms into your recipe. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- A little grapefruit or orange would add brightness to this jam.
- Mix in raspberries.
- Swap out the berries for peaches and apricots.
- Use Blackberry or Blueberry Eastern Shore Honey.
If you make a batch of this Blackberry and Blueberry Jam, post a picture and use the hashtag #beeinspired on Instagram. We love seeing your photos!
