Blueberry Lavender Jam: For the Love of Canning

This post is sponsored by the makers of Ball® home canning products.*

There is something so beautiful about how a scent can bring you back to a memory. Whether it’s a specific perfume on a passing stranger that makes you think of your long-distance best friend, a waft of saddle leather that brings you back to sleepaway camp, or one of my absolute favorites – a whisper of lavender that evokes an image of trailing your fingers through the bushes that lined your grandparents’ front walk; each scent-memory is so visceral and pure that you can’t help but smile. It is memories like this that fuel my love of cooking- there is a bit of joy in every dish and even more so when I’m working with ingredients that have such sweet memories attached, like this Blueberry Lavender Jam.

Now, this jam recipe isn’t one passed down by family, but rather one featured in the 38th Edition Ball® Blue Book Guide to Preserving. However, each time I make it I get to re-live my childhood memories at my grandparents’ home in the woods in Connecticut. My grandfather was an avid gardener, so some of my very first memories of gardening started in his workshop where there were rows upon rows of glass Ball^® Mason Jars filled with everything from saved marigold seeds to assortments of screws for his garden beds.

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He’d bring me outside to show me the nets that protected his huge blueberry bushes from the forest’s birds. And while the nets did protect those sweet little treats from the birds, they definitely didn’t protect them from me, as I’d sit outside snacking directly from the bushes. When I pair the memory of those blueberries from the garden with the lavender lining the front walk, I create a scent that encapsulates happy childhood memories, reworked for my kitchen, and it feels like I am canning my childhood in the best way.

Blueberry Lavender Jam Ingredients

Depending on where you’re sourcing the blueberries for your jam, they’ll be in season anywhere from March until early September. Because they’re so fresh during the summer be sure to choose berries that are completely ripe (no green spots!) and to remove any blueberry blossoms that may still be stuck to the berries. We’re using florals, but we want them to taste great!

Blueberry Lavender Jam Method

Prep Blueberry Lavender Jam

Wash the blueberries under cold, running water; drain. This step is a great places to access the berries for green spots and blossoms!

Assemble and measure ingredients.

Crush the blueberries one layer at a time with a potato masher. We want the blueberries to cook down into a homogenous mixture, and this is easier if the blueberries are already crushed! Also, quick tip, if you’re worried about scratching your pan with the metal potato masher, you can start the process with a simple wooden spoon, and then as you add layers of blueberries to smash, switch over the to the masher as it is more efficient.

Combine blueberries, white grape juice, lemon juice, and pectin into a wide saucepan or jam pot.

Stir in pectin until well combined.

Cook Blueberry Lavender Jam

Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat.

Stir the honey into the fruit mixture and return to boil. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Turn off heat, skim off foam as necessary, and stir in the dried lavender.

Canning Method

As we are cooking the jam, let’s get our clean jars prepped for water bath canning! I am using a traditional canning pot, so I’ll preheat the jars by placing a canning rack on the bottom of the pot and filling the canning pot about halfway with water. Then using a jar lifter, fill the bottom of the pot with pint jars- I am using the Limited Edition Ball^® Sunshine Canning Jars ! We are only using five jars for this recipe but be sure to fill the entirety of your pot with other jars so they don’t shift while canning- this can lead to chips!

I find it easiest to fill the jars with water then place each jar on the jar on the rack- this will ensure the jar has enough weight to stay upright. Once all jars are in place, fill the canning pot until there is one to two inches of water completely covering the jars.

Preheat the jars to a simmer (about 180ºF.) Tip: an easy way to know when your jars are getting close to a simmering temperature is to look for the jars to be covered with tiny bubbles! As the jars are pre-heating, cook the jam! Why? Rule of thumb when it comes to canning is that hot ingredients go in hot jars and cold ingredients go in cold jars. This prevents thermal shock and chipping!

Fill Canning Jars with Blueberry Lavender Jam

First, prep your canning station- canning is all about maintaining temperatures so you want to be prepped and ready when both your jam and canning jars are hot! You want to avoid hard, cold surfaces (like a metal or marble countertop) so instead, I use a wooden cutting board with a clean kitchen towel on top to soak up any water droplets. This jam STAINS. So, if you are using a kitchen towel, make sure to use one of your ‘work’ towels rather than one you use to beautify your kitchen!

Wash the canning rings and lids with hot, soapy water and inspect for any defects, then place them near your canning station on a clean surface. Also, make sure your canning tools are clean- I used the Ball® Utensil Set that comes with a jar lifter, funnel, and dual bubble remover and headspace tool.

Working with one jar at a time, fill the preheated pint jars with the hot blueberry lavender jam leaving ¼ inch of headspace.

Using a bubble remover tool, remove bubbles- even if you can’t see them, they are there, especially as this jam is thick! Then wipe the rim of the jar clean with a clean, dry towel that doesn’t leave behind fibers.

Center a jar lid on the jar’s rim and secure with a canning ring, tightened to finger-tight! (Note: sometimes people think that finger tight is ‘loose,’ this is incorrect! Make sure to tighten the jar bands as much as possible while still just using your fingertips!)

Use a jar lifter to place the filled jar back in the canning pot and repeat with jars two through five.

Can the Blueberry Lavender Jam

Once all jars are secured in the boiling-water canner, adjust the temperature to medium-high and bring the water to a rolling boil. Once the water has come to a boil, start your processing time timer. At sea level and up to 1000 feet the processing time is fifteen minutes, but this needs to be adjusted for altitude if you’re higher! Here in Denver at 5280 feet I need to add an extra ten minutes.

I’ll pop Ball® Home Canning’s altitude chart below:

Altitude Feet	Increase Processing Time
1,001- 3,000	5 Minutes
3,001- 6,000	10 Minutes
6,001- 8,000	15 Minutes
8,001-10,000	20 Minutes

After the jars are finished processing, turn off the heat and remove the canning pot’s cover. Let the jars rest for five minutes. Then carefully, one by one, use the jar lifter to place the jars on another, clean cutting board covered with a kitchen towel to rest for twelve hours. As you are pulling the jars out of the pot, be sure to keep them upright (they may even have water on the lid) to not disturb the lid seals. If the canning bands are loose, there is no need to re-tighten as they come out of the canner.

You’ll start to hear the ‘pop’ of the lids sealing themselves as the jars cool. If you watch carefully, you’ll be able to see the jar lids ‘pop’ from convex to concave!

After twelve hours, check the jar seals. I start this process by looking for any lids that are not concave, then gently tapping the lids with a fingertip. Properly sealed jars will have a clean, ringing sound. Jars that have not sealed properly will sound hollow. The hollow-sounding jar lids will also pop up and down. Finally, gently try to remove the lids with your fingertips. Concave, vacuum-sealed jar lids cannot be removed with your fingertips alone.

Finally, label and store your jars! Because I used the cutest Sunshine Jars, these jars are all being stored at the front of my pantry shelves- just be sure they’re not stored in direct sunlight.

Blueberry Lavender Jam Thumbprint Cookies

While a floral jam like this Blueberry Lavender Jam is wonderful on its own, it is also absolutely delicious in baked goods! You can spread it on a scone, toast or even a croissant (lavender and French pastry goes hand in hand!) But my favorite is to add it to my thumbprint cookies! A little dollop of the jam goes in the thumbprint, add a few lavender blossoms, and let cool- you’ll have a stunning cookie that will be the star of any summer dessert table!

*Disclosure: This is a sponsored post that is part of an ongoing partnership with the Fresh Preserving Division of Newell Brands. They have provided jars, equipment and monetary compensation. All thoughts and opinions expressed remain my own.

Photography by Becky Duffyhill