Blueberry Freezer Jam
I recently picked up 2 lbs of fresh organic blueberries that were on sale and decided to make blueberry freezer jam with them. My son volunteered to make this jam with me and did everything except for a little bit of stirring. It was a fun project for us to work on together and he did an excellent job! My son is especially looking forward to a peanut butter and jelly sandwich tomorrow for his school lunch using his homemade jam. I really love this recipe because it uses so much less sugar than regular pectin uses and it tastes just as good if not better–the key is to use less sugar pectin. The regular pectin requires 4 1/2 cups of sugar!!! We got six jars of blueberry jam from this recipe and they will last in the freezer for up to one year. Needless to say, I am very proud of my son!
How to Make Blueberry Freezer Jam
Clean and dry six plastic freezer jam jars.
Clean the blueberries well and pick through to remove any bad berries or stems.
Pour a portion of the berries into a large bowl then mash with a potato masher. Repeat the process until all of the berries are slightly mashed. Set aside.
Gradually add the pectin and lemon juice to the apple juice in a saucepan. Mix until the pectin is dissolved. Place the pan on the stove over medium-high heat. Cook until rapidly boiling, stirring often. Once it is boiling, let it boil hard for 1 minute stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and pour over the mashed blueberries IMMEDIATELY.
Add the sugar and stir until well combined.
Ladle into the jars carefully to the fill line making sure to wipe the outside of jars if needed. Place the lid on the jars and place it into the refrigerator to set for 24 hours. Serve immediately, refrigerate for up to three weeks. Place the remaining jars into the freezer for up to 1 year. Enjoy.
Note: If you are using different pectin than the one pictured above, you need to follow the instructions from your pectin package, not this recipe. Different pectin’s call for different amounts of sugar and fruit.
Ingredients
- 6 plastic freezer jam jars cleaned & dried
- 2 lbs of fresh blueberries crushed
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 ¾ cup low sugar apple juice
- 3 tbsp Ball Low or No Sugar Needed Pectin it's very important to use this pectin for this recipe
- 1 ½ - 2 cups of sugar to taste depending on the sweetness of the berries
Instructions
- Clean and dry six plastic freezer jam jars.
- Clean the blueberries well and pick through to remove any bad berries or stems. Pour a portion of the berries into a large bowl then mash with a potato masher. Repeat the process until all the berries are slightly mashed. Set aside.
- Gradually add the pectin and lemon juice to the apple juice in a saucepan. Mix until the pectin is dissolved. Place the pan on the stove over medium-high heat. Cook until rapidly boiling, stirring often. Once it is boiling, let it boil hard for 1 minute stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and pour over the mashed blueberries IMMEDIATELY.
- Add the sugar and stir until well combined.
- Ladle into the jars carefully to the fill line making sure to wipe the outside of jars if needed. Place the lid on the jars and place it into the refrigerator to set for 24 hours. Serve immediately, refrigerate for up to three weeks. Place the remaining jars into the freezer for up to 1 year. Enjoy.
Hi Pam!
What a lovely time you and your son must have had making homemade blueberry freezer jam! Your son looks like a pro preserver, lol…certainly moments to be proud of:)
I have never had blueberry freezer jam but my daughter sends me strawberry freezer jam all the way from Idaho each year. As a matter of fact, I should be getting a fresh jar any day now. I must tell her to try blueberry freezer jam. Maybe if I give her your recipe she will send me a jar.
I know that is going to be one special Panut Butter and Jelly sandwich your son is going to enjoy at school. Kudos to him!
Thank you so much for sharing, Pam…
Hi Pam,
I was visiting my daughter in Blackfoot, Idaho. I’m not sure how far that is from Sun Valley but I think Blackfoot is further South:) Beautiful country:)
Your kid is cute:)
I love this recipe Pam!
You have a great sous chef at home 🙂 I have never made a freezer jam…actually hardly made any jam last years…but this sounds really easy and fun to make that I want to give it a try too.
Have a great week ahead!
Angie
Looks delicious Pam and great that your son participated.
Hi, Pam,
I tried this recipe for the first last summer when blueberries were in season. While it tasted great, I found that it was softer than I expected. If you spread it on bread, it soaked through leaving blueberry bits on top. I’m sure I followed the directions. Did you have the same results? I’m trying to decide if I should make this again. Thank you!
Donna,
We just made this jam yesterday. When I made the peanut butter and jelly sandwich for my son this morning, the jam was thick and spread nicely on the sandwich. I also snuck in a nibble when it got on my finger and it tasted fantastic!
Maybe you didn’t use enough blueberries last time?
Pam
What delicious looking jam – all those gorgeous plump blueberries – love your little sous chef!
Mary
It looks great, and your son looks like he had fun. Have you tried making peanut butter with him? That’s easy, too, and kids seem to love making things like that.
How fun to pick your own blueberries. You have such a great little helper there! We have huckleberries where we live, but I’m sure I could get the same results. Thanks for the recipe!
What a great thing to have in the freezer next winter. I am with you on making freezers jams and using the reduced sugar recipe.
hi Pam, Great Web Site, Could canning jars be used or is there something about the plastic jars in the freezer?
Barney,
I would check to make sure glass jars are okay to freeze but other than that I think regular jars would be fine. I just happened to have plastic ones.
Enjoy!
Pam
I love freezer jams. This is a perfect recipe for blueberry season which comes to NJ in the next few weeks.
Your little chef is the cutest. I love when my daughter helps me in the kitchen. It’s such a great bonding experience. I’ve never made freezer jams, a must try for sure.
Your children are so adorable, Pam! I love this freezer jam. I hope I can find the low sugar pectin!
Pam- how many ounces are your freezer jars? I’m excited to try this and your strawberry version, too!
of all the jams and jellies in the world, i’m pretty sure blueberry is tops for me. this batch looks glorious!
Awesome job to both of you! Canning tends to make me nervous but I do like the sound of a freezer jam!
I took your recommendation to use the low sugar pectin, and I’m so glad I did! It was just the right sweetness for fresh picked berries.!