This year’s blueberry harvest was our biggest yet. It’s the third summer we’ve owned the house and the 2nd year we have lived in it, but we’ve harvested the berries for all three years. We don’t know if it’s that the eight 40 year old plants finally got a little TLC after years of neglect, or if it’s the fact that we tented it to keep the birds out. It’s probably a combination of the two, but whatever the reason, we had an abundance of blueberries.
During this quarantine, having the daily ritual of picking felt almost zen. Most mornings, there was a quick bowl gathered to sprinkle on our yogurt with granola and we often add peaches. Then after breakfast and coffee the longer pick started while also doing our other yard tending.
We love eating them fresh, and enjoyed many tasty delights along the way. From desserts:
To breakfast treats:
And finally to jam:
Blueberries have plenty of natural pectins so you don’t need to add any. This was a plus as we didn’t want to have to go to the store to buy pectin.
We found a simple and easy low sugar recipe to make homemade jam without the fuss of canning. You just pour the jam in sterilized jars and save them in the fridge or freezer.
We used just three ingredients:
Blueberries, sugar and lemon zest.
The rest of the berries went into our freezer to enjoy them during the winter.
