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Blueberry lemon thyme jam in a spoon
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Blueberry lemon thyme jam

Preserve the summer in a jar by making the refreshing and creamy blueberry lemon thyme jam. Spread it on a toast, add to your oatmeal bowl, or just enjoy it by a spoonful.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Preserve Time25 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Servings 870 ml
Calories:

Equipment & Tools

  • Mortar and pestle
  • Canning utensils: jar lifter, jar mouth funnel
  • Canning rack
  • 3x290ml canning jars

INGREDIENTS
 

  • 10 g lemon thyme (leaves only, approx. one bunch)
  • 120 g unrefined sugar
  • 600 g blueberries
  • 1 lemon (juice)
  • ½ tsp vanilla paste (Nielsen-Massey)

INSTRUCTIONS

General prep

  • Take a dessert plate and put it in a freezer.
  • Wash the jars and the lids. Drain from water.
  • Place the jars and the lids, upside down in the oven. Turn the oven on at 100°C.
  • Once the oven reaches the temperature, turn it off but leave the jars inside until the jam is ready.

Make the jam

  • Wash the lemon thyme and pick the leaves and add to the mortar and pestle.
  • Add 2 tbsp of sugar and mash with the lemon thyme leaves until there are no more leaves and it has more of a paste structure. If there are any small branch-like elements from the thyme remove them.
  • Wash the blueberries and drain them. To get all the excess water out place them on a clean kitchen towel and very gently pat them dry.
  • In the cooking pot add all the blueberries, remaining sugar, lemon juice, vanilla paste, and the crushed lemon thyme leaves from the mortar and pestle.
  • Bring to a boil, lower the heat to medium and simmer for about 15 minutes. Stir the mixture constantly.
  • If there is any foam forming on top use a spoon to remove it.

Fill the sterilized jars

  • Using jar lifter or baking gloves carefully remove a jar from the oven. They will be quite hot, so be careful not to burn yourself.
  • Using a larger spoon, carefully scoop some jam into the jar. Use a jar funnel if you have one. If not, try not to drop any jam on the jar rim. Fill the jar by leaving about 1 cm / 0.2in space from the top.
  • Check that the rim of the jar is clean (no jam on it), and if not, take a clean kitchen towel and wipe it clean and dry.
  • Place the lid on top, close tightly. When you put the lid on, it should not touch the jam inside. Set aside.
  • Repeat with other jars and the remaining jam.

Preserving the jam

  • Using a large stainless steel pot place a canning rack on the bottom. See note if you don't have a canning rack.
  • Carefully place the filled jars on the canning rack.
  • Add hot boiling water to the pot to cover almost the full height of the jar.
  • Turn the heat on medium to achieve a very slow simmer. Simmer for at least 10 minutes.
  • Turn the heat off and let the jars cool in the pot.
  • Once cooled, wipe the water marks from the jar and store them in a cool place.

NOTES

  1. If the jar lids have a rubber band which is separate from the lid, don't put them in the oven along with the jars and lids.
  2. Due to the low sugar content of the jam use smaller jars for storing, or a size where the jam will be consumed in several weeks after opening. This ensures that you consume the jam and it does not go bad.
  3. Before closing the lids fully, always check that you placed the lid correctly as any air circulation will not allow for the jam to be preserved correctly. This is especially important with the jar that has a rubber band separately from the lid (e.g. Weck jars).
  4. The jam is properly preserved if the top of the lid is convex or indented inward and pressing on it does nothing. If it is concave and when you press it, it indents inwards then you should reseal the jar and repeat the preserving process since the jar did not seal airtight. Or just consume this jar first.
  5. If you don't have a canning rack for the pot, use kitchen cloth. It is important for the jars not to be directly on the heat source. Just fold the kitchen cloth so that it covers the bottom of the pot and it is folded at least 4 times. If it is too small for 4 folds then use two cloths. Make sure that when you place the jars they are leveled and not tilted to the side.
  6. Once you start to consume the jam and the jar is not sealed airtight anymore, it is best to keep it in the fridge.

* Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.