Here we are nearing the end of August and it’s time to start harvesting crops for canning! U-Pick blueberry season just wrapped up and while I would have loved to pick blueberries for homemade jam, it just wasn’t cost effective. Luckily blueberries were on sale at our local supermarket, so we took advantage of the deal. My jam making efforts were a breeze thanks to Ball Canning who sent me a very generous care package of canning supplies including the new FreshTECH Automatic Jam & Jelly Maker and those snazzy vintage blue jars! *sings* I know you want it.

The FreshTech is awesome. It makes jam in 21 minutes! Here, let me show you how I whipped up a batch of blueberry jam using the Sweet and Simple recipe book.

Ingredients
2 2/3 cups crushed berries
3 tbsp pectin
1/2 tsp butter
3 1/3 cups granulated sugar

Instructions
Using a potato masher, crush berries and set them aside.
Sprinkle pectin evenly on the bottom of the FreshTech pot fitted with stirrer. Add crushed berries evenly over pectin. Add butter to reduce foaming.
Press the jam button on the FreshTech and press enter once the display shows 21 minutes.
In 4 minutes the FreshTech will beep 4 times. Gradually add sugar after the beeps and place lid on the pot.
The jam will continue to stir and cook for 17 minutes. Once the appliance beeps, press cancel and unplug. Begin to ladle jam into jars that have been prepared (disinfected/heated) for canning.
Jam can be refrigerated up to 3 weeks unpreserved. If preserved or frozen, the shelf life is up to a year. If you are new to canning, you can watch Food Network Star, Ted Allen, demo some of his favorite canning recipes on the pre-recorded Can-It-Forward Day webcast.
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Samples and prizes provided by Ball. Opinions remain my own.
Natasha
Friday 30th of August 2013
I've been dying to try canning! The first thing I would make is a strawberry jam!!
Leona Pullyard
Friday 30th of August 2013
greenbeans
joseph gersch
Friday 30th of August 2013
tomato sauce
Katie
Thursday 29th of August 2013
salsa!
Vera P.
Thursday 29th of August 2013
First year with a small veggie garden and I'd love to start canning the things I grow. Tomatoes, carrots, squash, green beans...