July 26, 2025 was a very busy day in my home. I made three different kinds of jam, the third of which was blueberry jam. I also made my first attempt at recording a video of myself (still in editing) as I made the blueberry jam, and while it does need some work, I am proud of what I have accomplished.

The jam recipe I used for this was once again drawn from the USDA’s book on home canning. It calls for equal parts smashed berries and sugar. My blueberries were purchased at Costco, as I did not have time to hand-pick them myself this week.

I tried two different methods for smashing the blueberries. First, I used my ninja food processor with its plastic paddles, but I did not like the whole blueberries that were left as the skins were still larger pieces than I wanted. Second, I tried using the metal paddle for the food processor, and that created a much more uniform texture. It really is a matter of personal preference, and after my family tries some of the blueberry jam made both ways, I’ll update the post with their preferences.*

Like all of the other canning recipes, the berries and sugar are added to a pot and cooked until they reach a rolling boil. I like to stir the mixture nearly constantly in a figure eight pattern, but it really just needs to be stirred enough to prevent scorching. Once the mixture reaches a rolling boil, I continue to constantly stir for another 10 minutes. As it boils, it tends to rise in the pan, and stirring constantly keeps it from boiling over.

Then, I ladle the hot mixture into the hot jars, center the lids, and finger-tighten the rings. A 10-minute trip through the boiling water bath, and 12-24 hours of cooling to check the seals, and you have a delicious blueberry jam to eat.

*I personally do not like blueberries very much, so blueberry jam is very much tailored to the preferences of my family members who do enjoy blueberries.