Blueberry Pepper Jam

At a local farmers' market last year I stopped at a vendor table that was selling jams and jellies. I came across some strawberry habanero jelly and had to try it. It was AMAZING! Not only for typical uses like on toast, but over cream cheese and eaten with tortilla chips too. I knew I had to learn to make it. Since we have blueberries coming out of our ears right now I figured that would be a perfect way to use them. Luckily when my MIL and Keegan went back to the you-pick recently, they not only brought me tomatoes, but also jalapenos. Half of them went in this jam. Once my jalapenos start really producing I need to make some more. Nobody else likes my jam but I am officially addicted to it. Soooo good. Brad is a very picky eater, and Keegan is hesitant to try new things, especially when he thinks it might be spicy. This isn't spicy though. First you get the pepper jelly flavor, then the berry sweetness, and then at the end you get a slight twinge in the back of your throat from the spice. I couldn't find a recipe for it so I made my own. Luckily I thought ahead and made sure to write it down so I could replicate it if I like it. Very glad I did! I usually cook by just adding things as I go. I did make sure to make this recipe canning safe so it will store well.

Blueberry Pepper Jam

In a small sauce pan combine

1/2 cup Lemon Juice
2 cups Jalapeno Peppers finely diced (seeds and all) I used my ninja
1 cup Vinegar
1 tsp salt

Simmer while prepping the berries

In a large non-reactive pot combine

12 cups Blueberries (I chopped mine up in the ninja/ food processor)
7 cups Sugar
1/2 cup Lemon Juice
Pepper Mix from above

Boil to thicken stirring frequently to prevent burning.

While boiling place a glass saucer in the freezer to test the gel of the jam. To test gel simply place a spoonful of the jam on the plate and leave it for a minute. After about a minute swipe our finger through it. If the jam doesn't flow back into the empty space immediately, but either not at all or very slowly, you have reached desired gel. If not rinse the plate and place it back in the freezer and boil the jam a bit longer. Blueberries have a lot of pectin in them so they typically don't need added pectin to gel. It works best in smaller batches though.

Once jam reaches desired gel fill sterilized pint or half pint jars. Boil in water bath canner for 10 minutes for pints and 5 minutes for half pints. Allow to cool. Check seals. Remove rings. Done! This made 6 pints, plus enough for me to sample.