Greta Strautman’s delicious jam makes a fantastic pairing with the scones on the next page or anywhere else you might use jam. By making your own jam, you can decide how much and what type of sugar to use.
Greta Strautman has been teaching children about food, nutrition and gardening for the past four years. She is currently working as a garden educator for Food for Thought in Ojai schools. She also runs a cottage jam and marmalade business, Little Apple Kitchen.
Ingredients
- 2–4 Mason jars, depending on size used (pint or half pint), and lids for each jar
- 4 cups mashed blueberries, rinsed, stems removed
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons calcium water (follow instructions on pectin package)
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups sugar (can substitute 1 cup wildflower honey instead)
- 2 teaspoons Pomona’s pectin
- 2–4 teaspoons lavender extract (recipe at right; make approximately 2 weeks prior to making jam)
- 1 (pint-size) glass jar with lid
- Up to 2 cups organic vodka
- ½ cup organic lavender flowers, fresh or dried (Frog Creek Farm sells dried lavender flowers.)
Preparation
Wash and rinse jars. Let stand in hot water as you bring lids to a simmer in water to cover. Turn off heat; let lids stand in hot water. Wash screw bands; set aside.
Measure fruit into saucepan with lemon juice. Add calcium water into pan; stir well.
Place sugar (or room-temperature honey) in a bowl. Add pectin powder and thoroughly mix into honey or sugar.
Bring fruit to a full boil. Add pectin-sweetener. Stir vigorously 1–2 minutes to dissolve pectin and return mixture to full boil.
Add in 2 teaspoons lavender extract, let alcohol boil off (30 seconds) and taste. Add more extract 1 teaspoon at a time to taste. Remove from heat.
Fill jars to ¼ inch from top with cooked jam. Wipe rims clean. Screw on 2-piece lids. Put filled jars in boiling water to cover. Boil 10 minutes (add 1 minute more for every 1,000 feet above sea level). Remove from water. Let jars cool. Check seals; lids should be sucked down. Eat within 1 year. Lasts 3 weeks once opened and refrigerated.
Lavender Extract
Place lavender flowers into jars. Pour vodka over flowers, fill to ¼ inch from top and place lid securely on jar. Give a little shake and store out of direct sunlight for at least 2 weeks, giving jar a little shake every other day. After 2 weeks, strain through a sieve, gently pressing flowers to extract all the goodness. You can strain again through a sieve lined with an unbleached coffee filter to remove every speck of flowers. Place in a clean glass container with a tight lid. Store out of direct sunlight.
