This post is by Marisa McClellan, creator of the popular blog Food in Jars. Marisa is a food writer, canning teacher, and dedicated farmers market shopper who lives in Center City Philadelphia. She is the author of Food in Jars: Preserving in Small Batches Year-Round and Preserving by the Pint: Quick Seasonal Canning for Small Spaces. Find more of her jams, pickles, and preserves (all cooked up in her 80-square-foot kitchen) on her website, Food in Jars.
I am so delighted to be here sharing my small batch recipe for Honey Sweetened Blueberry Jam. Most people think that making jam has to be a giant process that takes all day, uses multiple pounds of sugar, and dirties every utensil in the kitchen. But there’s another faster way that it can be done with honey in place of sugar, and it’s endlessly delicious.
The secret is in the small batch, cooked in a low, wide pan like a frying pan or a high sided skillet. The pan creates a lot of surface area, which means that you can cook the moisture out of the fruit more quickly and create a nice, solid set rapidly and without the amounts of sweetener that are typically called for in jam making.
You start with a quart of blueberries. If you’re going by weight, it’s an even 1 1/2 pounds. Wash them well and then tumble them into a low, wide pan. You want to pick one made from a non-reactive metal like stainless steel, enameled cast iron, or anodized aluminum. Use a potato masher (or employ a small child to help!) and mash the berries.
Add 2/3 cup of honey (if you have a kitchen scale, plunk the pan right on top of it, zero out the weight, and pour in 8 ounces of honey). Stir in the juice from half a lemon, put the pan on the stove and bring it to a boil. Once it boils, you cook the fruit for about ten minutes until it thickens. You can tell that it’s done when you can draw a line through the jam with your spatula and the space stays open for a moment.
Once it’s done, you have two choices. You can funnel it right into a jar, let it cool, and then stash it in the fridge for immediate consumption. It will keep there for three to four weeks. Or, you can divide it between a couple clean, hot jars, apply new lids and rings, and process them in a boiling water bath canner to make the jars shelf stable. If you do go through this extra step, know that the jars don’t have to be sterilized before filling. They just need to be clean and hot. The boiling water bath will serve as the sterilization step just fine.
I like to use an asparagus steamer as a tiny batch canning pot because you can stack a couple wide mouth half pints right inside the wire cage and it doesn’t take much time or energy to bring to a boil. However, any stock pot will do, as long as you slip a rack under the jars (like a round cake cooling rack or even a dish towel or layer of mason jar rings will do) to keep them from rattling against the bottom of the pot. A pasta pot with straining insert makes a really good canning pot. If you’re looking for more detail about setting up your own canning post, I have a post on my site that details the process.
This same technique will work with nearly all fruit (except apples don’t do well when treated like this), but do give it a try with strawberries, or later in the summer with apricots, nectarines, or plums. You can also vary the flavorings. As you’ll see, the batch I made was quite basic, but you can add a little spice, a bit of vanilla bean, or even a sprig of fresh mint or basil (just pull it out at the end of cooking).
Honey Sweetened Blueberry Jam
Ingredients
- 1 quart blueberries, approximately 1 1/2 pounds
- 2/3 cup honey
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
Instructions
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Pour the berries into a low, wide, non-reactive pan and mash.
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Add the honey and lemon juice and stir to combine. Let the mixture sit until the honey begins to dissolve.
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Place the pan on the stove and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring regularly, for 10 to 12 minutes, until the jam thickens.
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To make the jam shelf stable, pour it into clean, hot jars. Apply lids and rings and process in a boiling water bath canner for ten minutes.
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When time is up, remove jars from the canner and place them on a folded kitchen towel and let them cool.
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When the jars are room temperature, check the seals. If the lids have gone concave and don't wiggle at all, they are sealed.
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Any unsealed jars should be refrigerated and used within a few weeks.
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If you don't want to process the jam, just pour it into a jar, let it cool, and put it in the refrigerator.
Recipe Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
FAQ
Q: Can I make this recipe with fruits other than blueberries?
A: Yes! However, blueberries have a good deal of pectin naturally, so you may have to cook other fruits a bit longer in order to get a satisfyingly thick consistency.
Q: Can I make this jam with frozen fruit?
A: Yes! Defrost the fruit fully before combining it with the honey. Take note that it may need an additional minute or two of cooking, because frozen fruit will release more liquid than fresh.
Q: Can I skip the boiling water bath process and just freeze this jam?
A: Yes! Funnel it into freezer containers and leave about an inch of space up at the top to allow for expansion. Let the jam cool to room temperature before placing the containers in the freezer. If you choose to freeze in glass jars, make sure that you use jars that have straight sides, as there’s less risk of breakage that way.
Q: Can I double or triple this recipe?
A: I don’t recommend it. The reason this jam works so well without any additional pectin has everything to do with the small batch size. If you increase the volume in the pan, that makes it harder for the fruit to cook down efficiently. If you have a very, very large, wide pan, you can try a double batch.
If you want to make much larger batches of honey sweetened jam, I recommend looking into Pomona’s Pectin. It’s a natural product that allows you to get a really satisfying set with any sweetener. There’s a really terrific cookbook called Preserving with Pomona’s Pectin that will give you all the detail you need.
Q: Can I use something other than lemon juice?
A: For those of you who can’t have citrus, try using a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in place of the lemon. It will balance the flavor in the same way.
Q: How much does this recipe yield?
A: You should get between 2 and 3 half pints from a batch this size. The yield will vary a bit depending on how much water is in the fruit and how long you cook it.
Q: Can I reduce the amount of honey?
A: Yes. However, know that the honey isn’t just a sweetener when you make jam. It also plays a role in helping the jam set up. So if you reduce the honey, you may have to cook it a bit longer to get it to be truly jammy. And of course, the yield will be less because you’ve reduced the total starting volume.
Q: Can I use agave instead of honey?
A: Yes! Agave will work just as well.
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Barbara
June 27, 2014 at 6:17 amThank you! I’m really excited about trying this.
A but nervous about the sterilizing phase but I’ll give it a try :-)
Marisa
June 27, 2014 at 8:45 pmI promise, there’s no need to sterilize before canning, as long as you do a ten minute boiling water bath!
dominique lily
June 27, 2014 at 7:38 amThanks so much, this is such a straight forward recipe, I love it!
Domi x
http://www.barenaturals.com/news
Marisa
June 27, 2014 at 8:46 pmSo glad you like it!
Leigh Anne
June 27, 2014 at 8:17 amIf you don’t want to go through the extra step of canning can you just throw these jars in the freezer?? This is what I do with my no sugar strawberry jam and it keeps for up to 12 months in the freezer.
Marisa
June 27, 2014 at 8:46 pmYou can certainly just freeze this jam. It will also keep for a month or two in the fridge, as well.
Candee Backus
June 27, 2014 at 12:43 pmThis is awesome! Thanks for showing us a great way to make small batches of jam without using tons of sugar. I like to really taste the freshness of the fruit in my jam, is the amount of honey imperative to make the recipe work or can it be adjusted depending on the sweetness of the fruit you are using? I can’t wait to try it & will likely try it with other fruits too. Have you ever done it with frozen fruit?
Marisa McClellan
June 27, 2014 at 8:50 pmThe honey isn’t just sweetening the jam. It is also helping thicken and preserve it. So if you reduce the amount, the consistency may not be as thick and it won’t last as long on the shelf. That’s not to say that you can’t play around with it a little, but know that it will impact the finished product.
You can try this same ratio of fruit to honey with other fruits, and it works beautifully with frozen fruit. I do recommend fully defrosting the fruit and draining some of the water off before using it to make jam.
susan
June 27, 2014 at 2:04 pmI too am curious about the freezer option.
Marisa
June 27, 2014 at 8:46 pmIt can be frozen!
Heather
June 27, 2014 at 2:30 pmVery interesting! I’ll have to check out your blog.
Marisa McClellan
June 27, 2014 at 8:51 pmPlease do!
Melisaa
June 27, 2014 at 2:42 pmSo excited to try but also curious about freezing!
AnneB
June 27, 2014 at 4:47 pmFreezer jam is super easy. Just spoon into your containers as noted above. You can let them come to room temp before placing them in your freezer OR just deliver them right in! I make strawberry jam this way every year & I always seem to do it on the hottest, most humid day in June. This is a great way to get the same result.
Marisa McClellan
June 27, 2014 at 8:52 pmIf you’re using glass jars for your freezer jam, I’d recommend letting the jars cool before freezing. That way, you don’t have any risk of breakage from heat shock.
Joelle
July 30, 2014 at 1:50 pmDo you have to do the whole canning process before freezing? Or can you just fill your jars and put in the freezer?
Margaret
June 27, 2014 at 6:03 pmThank you so much for this recipe! I’ve been looking for a way to make jam without all the sugar, but I wasn’t sure how to preserve it without using sugar. Love that this recipe forgoes the pectin too. Can’t wait to try it out :)
Marisa McClellan
June 27, 2014 at 8:52 pmYou are so welcome! I hope you enjoy it!
Brenda BZ
June 27, 2014 at 9:43 pmHow is 2/3 cup of honey 8oz? Isn’t 8 oz. a cup?
Darrell (MFP UCCE San Bernardino, CA)
June 28, 2014 at 12:19 amThe 2/3 cup is a volume measurement.
The 8 oz. is a weight measurement.
Most solids, semi-solids and liquids in cooking weigh what they measure. Oil, water, butter, shortening, milk, margarine, vinegar as examples. 1 cup 8 oz. volume weigh 8 oz. on the scale.
Sugar and sugar syrups are an exception.
Powders are an exception. (salt, flour, pwd.sugar, yeast, etc…)
Thanks
Darrell
Marisa McClellan
June 28, 2014 at 1:43 amA cup of honey weighs 12 ounces, not eight.
Leslie
June 28, 2014 at 12:12 amYou mentioned nectarines but not peaches. Will it work for peaches or do I need to use sugar? If so will the ratio be 4 cups peaches to 2 cups sugar? Thanks.
Marisa McClellan
June 28, 2014 at 12:29 pmI was just listing a few of the options. Peaches work fine as well, though they do need to be peeled prior to jamming.
You could also do this same thing with sugar and the two to one ratio you’ve suggested is the same one I use for most of my sugar sweetened jams.
Darrell (MFP UCCE San Bernardino, CA)
June 28, 2014 at 12:16 amThe 2/3 cup is a volume measurement.
The 8 oz. is a weight measurement.
Most solids, semi-solids and liquids in cooking weigh what they measure. Oil, water, butter, shortening, milk, margarine, vinegar as examples. 1 cup 8 oz. volume weigh 8 oz. on the scale.
Sugar and sugar syrups are an exception.
Powders are an exception. (salt, flour, pwd.sugar, yeast, etc…)
Thanks
Darrell
Dede
June 28, 2014 at 12:17 amLove your blog and small batch recipes, Marisa, and I was so sorry to miss you when you were here in Portland! You say you like an asparagus steamer because you can stack a couple of wide mouth half pints for processing. I thought you weren’t supposed to stack jars when water bath canning. Can you really do this? That would just really change my world!
Marisa McClellan
June 28, 2014 at 12:28 pmThanks Dede! And I do like an asparagus or 4th burner pot for processing. You can certainly stack jars, whether in a large canner or in a small pot.
teresa
June 28, 2014 at 9:02 amif using raspberries or seeded berries how would you go about removing the seeds before cooking to make seedless jelly? thanks
Marisa McClellan
June 28, 2014 at 12:26 pmI would puree the fruit and push it through a fine mesh sieve before cooking. You’ll need to start out with more fruit to get the same yield, though, as you’ll be straining out about a third of the primary ingredient before starting to cook.
Jeanne
June 28, 2014 at 11:43 amHow much yield should I expect from this recipe? In the picture it looks like 3 quarter-pint jars. Thanks!
Marisa McClellan
June 28, 2014 at 12:25 pmOops, so sorry! I meant to put that in the recipe. You should get between two and three half pints. My yield for this batch was two half pints and one quarter pint, but depending on how much you cook it, you might get a little bit more.
Jennifer
June 28, 2014 at 5:10 pmCannot wait to try this. We took our children out to the blueberry farm this morning and picked 3 gallons of pesticide/chemical free blueberries and they taste so great. I’m thinking we may go back and pick more before the season ends as we LOVE blueberries!
Terri
June 28, 2014 at 8:25 pmThis recipe could not have come at a better time. I have been wanting to make blueberry jam without commercial pectin & tons of sugar. I have 2 lbs. of fresh blueberries, new jars & lids, all my equipment so I am ready to go thanks to you! Hubby ordered my birthday gift early and I can’t wait to get your new book in the mail next week!
Jill
June 29, 2014 at 4:09 pmSounds good! Looking forward to making it! Can you use the same recipe with strawberries instead of blueberries?
Marisa McClellan
June 29, 2014 at 4:16 pmYes, you can use the same recipe with strawberries. I did a version for The Kitchn a couple of years ago with strawberries, that you can find here: http://www.thekitchn.com/canning-recipe-strawberry-thyme-jam-urban-preserving-with-marisa-mcclellan-172563
You can omit the thyme and use any other flavor enhancer you want. It’s particularly good with a vanilla bean.
Laura Shuman
June 29, 2014 at 7:37 pmI just made a half recipe with fresh cherries and it is wonderful!
Erica
June 30, 2014 at 2:18 pmI’ve wanted to try canning for a long time but have always been nervous about it. This post came at just the right time as we picked about 5 pounds of blueberries at a local farm this weekend.
We got home, and I got over myself and did it! We got 2 half-pints with just a little leftover. The family descended on the remaining jam and are now begging me to open one of the jars. I’m still grinning that I actually did it that I won’t let them have one yet.
Thank you so much!!
Marisa McClellan
June 30, 2014 at 2:49 pmI am so happy that it worked so well for you!
Christine
July 2, 2014 at 10:20 pmI’m in LOVE with this amazing recipe! My daughter and I can’t get enough of it. What an awesome way to use our delicious, organic, hand-picked blueberries (and, oh do we have a lot of them!). Thanks so much for sharing it.
Christine
July 2, 2014 at 10:23 pmP.S. I found that I can get by without about half the recommended amount of honey (the quality organic stuff) and still end up with a sweet result. :)
Marisa McClellan
July 7, 2014 at 1:09 pmRemember, the honey isn’t just serving as a sweetener. It also acts as a thickener and a preservative. It’s perfectly safe to reduce the honey, but it will reduce how thick the product will get and how long it will last in the fridge.
Jacquetta
July 3, 2014 at 8:36 amCan I use agave syrup instead of honey??
Marisa McClellan
July 7, 2014 at 1:13 pmYes!
Sandra
July 3, 2014 at 11:09 amI just found this recipe for the jam! Can’t wait to try it. Just picked blueberries yesterday!! I can use the same recipe for peaches??
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy)
July 7, 2014 at 9:00 amHi Sandra. She mentioned that it will work well with most fruits. ~Amy
Shelly
July 3, 2014 at 8:57 pmThis turned out so great! I went out to get your new book today and it was nowhere to be found in all of Jacksonville, FL! I’ll be ordering it on amazon, I believe I have a new hobby!
Kathleen
July 3, 2014 at 9:31 pmThanks for sharing this recipe! I’m excited to check out your blog. I love the idea of using the wide pan to reduce cooking time. I do a lot of low sugar jam recipes too, but haven’t had success without using some pectin. I’ll have to try your way.
Jessica
July 6, 2014 at 2:59 pmSorry! I just read the entire post! I don’t learn ;)
Stacey
July 7, 2014 at 1:36 pmThis sounds great! I love the fact that it uses honey and not sugar. Wish I had a blueberry patch here in Texas! Keep the recipes coming.
Thanks!!
Genic
July 7, 2014 at 5:24 pmCan’t wait to try it. How many minutes to process if I use the water bath?
Marisa McClellan
July 7, 2014 at 5:41 pmTen minutes (see step #4 of the recipe). :)
Darcy S
July 8, 2014 at 12:31 pmWill it make enough for 1 pint? We have a large family and using those little jars are pointless. We go through a pint quickly. If i use a pint and want to process it, will it still be 10 minutes processing? Or longer?
Marisa McClellan
July 8, 2014 at 12:38 pmYes. The recipe makes just over a pint of jam and you can certainly can it in a single jar. The processing time is still ten minutes, even with the larger jar. You’d only increase the processing time if you moved up to a 24 or 32 ounce jar.
Darcy S
July 8, 2014 at 2:30 pmThank you!! I love that there isn’t any added sugar. Off to make a pint right now!
Sarah
August 1, 2014 at 4:15 pmWill it hurt to quadruple the recipe? I’d like to make several 1/2 pint jars. Thanks!
Marisa McClellan
August 1, 2014 at 4:21 pmYes. It won’t set up if you multiply the batches. The reason this jam works without additional pectin is because of the small size of the batch.
Jazzmin
July 9, 2014 at 3:50 pmHow does this recipe turn out in regards to thickness? Two summers ago I made the strawberry jam listed on the website but found it very runny. I even boiled it longer to try to thicken it up. The consistency was between jam and fruit syrup, is this new recipe better for having a jam consistency?
Marisa McClellan
July 9, 2014 at 4:01 pmBlueberries have more natural pectin that strawberries do, so it should set up more firmly than the strawberry jam. However, jams made without additional pectin are never going to be as firm as grocery store jams. They are always going to have a softer set. If you want to make a honey sweetened jam that is quite firm, I suggest looking into Pomona’s Pectin. It will give you a very firm finished product.
AnnieMB
July 12, 2014 at 8:54 pmwell i’m s o impressed by this recipe, thank you for sharing! i went strawberry picking with my 6y and 4y today and we made 19 jars/cups! they are so good! it took 25-30 min per batch to thicken up for us though but it’s a nice thick jam, wow! and the smell in the house, yummmm ;)
Ann R
July 13, 2014 at 8:04 pmI tried this jam for the first time today. It was so easy and tasted awesome! Even my Mom loved (who is old school with sugar and certo pectin). This recipe will be a staple for jam making every year. Thank you!
Marisa
July 13, 2014 at 8:19 pmI am so happy that you like it!
Brad
July 16, 2014 at 12:19 pmI’ve made this with sweet cherries.
Just for funnies, I zest the lemon and toss that in.
Marian
July 17, 2014 at 4:25 pmHello????
8 oz = 1 cup, not 2/3 cup. That would be 5.33oz and while this probably isn’t a critical measurement one would think that someone that writes recipes and puts them on line would know how many ounces are in a cup. Just sayin’
Marisa
July 17, 2014 at 5:10 pmMarian, honey weighs more than sugar. A cup of honey weighs 12 ounces and 2/3 a cup weights 8.
Marian
July 17, 2014 at 6:08 pmThanks for clarifying that Marisa. When writing recipes typically the measurements are given by volume and not by weight. That’s why the measurement seemed contradictory to me.
Betty
March 22, 2015 at 12:16 amActually, it’s only North American recipes that typically use volume measurements. Ingredients are usually listed by weight everywhere else in the world.
When a recipe lists two different measurements, one is a volume measurement and the other is the weight. Example:
1 quart blueberries (1½ pounds)
.
grace
July 17, 2014 at 11:07 pmHow many pints does this recipe yield?
Marisa
July 19, 2014 at 9:51 amSo sorry, I thought it was in the recipe, but it’s not! You’ll yield between 2 and 3 half pints per batch.
Barbara
July 23, 2014 at 9:12 pmCan this recipe be used with same amounts for blackberries or does lemon juice need to be increased b/c of acid – and can it still be canned not frozen?
Marisa McClellan
July 23, 2014 at 10:53 pmBarbara, blackberries are slightly lower in acid than blueberries, so I would add a bit of extra lemon juice to ensure that it’s safe for canning.
jessie
July 25, 2014 at 11:35 amcan frozen blueberries be used in this recipe?
Joelle
July 30, 2014 at 1:49 pmIf you freeze it, do you have to do the whole canning process? Or can you just put it in the jars and into the freezer (once cooled).
Also, can you use frozen berries for this?
Looking forward to trying this out! I picked 8 cups of blueberries yesterday in about 30 minutes, and I have tons in freezer from last year still. Looking for a way to use these up!
Breffney
July 30, 2014 at 3:14 pmI understand the lemon juice is probably used as a preservative, but we have an allergy to all citrus in our house. Do you have any suggestions for a substitute?
Marisa McClellan
August 1, 2014 at 4:15 pmThe lemon juice is simply there for flavor. You could try a splash of apple cider vinegar in place of the lemon juice.
Karen Miller
July 30, 2014 at 5:00 pmLisa, thanks so much for the link to food in jars during your vacation. I have a new hobby. Love the small batch canning! Who knew?
LINDA
July 30, 2014 at 5:23 pmCAN THIS BE DONE WITH PEACHES AND THEN FROZEN IN STRAIGHT SIDE JARS?
Marisa McClellan
August 1, 2014 at 4:14 pmLinda, you can certainly freeze it in straight sided jars, but I’ve not tried this exact ratio with peaches, so I can’t speak with 100% certainty that it will work. As long as you use yellow peaches, it is perfectly safe to try it, though.
Rhiannon
July 30, 2014 at 7:47 pmMade this using Saskatoon berries. Was so yummy!
Sarah
August 1, 2014 at 2:37 pmHi! I can’t wait to try this delicious recipe! I’m so sorry if you may have answered these questions, but my silly computer keeps freezing as I’m reading the comments. How many 8 oz jam jars would this fill? Can this be freezer jam? If I do it as freezer jam, does it still last the same amount of time as canned jam (I’m thinking they are both good for a year?)? Also, could I add peaches and make a peach/blueberry jam? Sorry, for all the questions…I’m new to jam making! Thanks so much! :)
Sarah
August 1, 2014 at 2:50 pmOoops, sorry just saw that it makes 2-3 half pint jar. Also, saw it can be freezer jam…does it last as long? Also still wondering about making it peach blueberry jam (just bought a 1/2 bushel of peaches :) ) Thanks!
Marisa McClellan
August 1, 2014 at 4:17 pmYou’ll actually get better shelf life if you can the jam rather than freeze it. After the boiling water bath process, it will be good a year or more on the shelf. In the freezer, it will start to lose flavor after about six months.
And you can certainly try it with some peaches. I’ve not done it, but there’s nothing unsafe about it.
Sarah
August 1, 2014 at 4:34 pmThank you! I have yet another question :) hope that’s okay! Would it be okay to quadruple the recipe, I would like to make several 1/2 pint jars for gifts, etc? How many doubling is too many doubling do you think? Also, would it be okay to make the batches tonight, refrigerate it and reheat tomorrow then can? I just realized I don’t have enough jars (lost them in giving away process) and I will get some tomorrow, but have time tonight to make the jam. Would that alter the consistency or do anything bad to it? Thanks again!!!
Marisa McClellan
August 1, 2014 at 4:51 pmThis recipe WILL NOT WORK if you double, triple, or quadruple it. The set of the jam depends on the small batch, because you need the small amount in the pan to evaporate the water rapidly and get the honey to thicken and bond with the pectin in the fruit before the pectin softens.
You could make the jam in multiple batches tonight, refrigerate it and then reheat and can it tomorrow.
Petra Miller
August 2, 2014 at 12:49 pmHi!! Love love LOVE this site!!!! – my family has been doing real food for the last three years- getting rid of dyes and preservatives was a much better outcome for my son’s ADHD. Found your site last year and was glad to see other moms getting the word out about today’s ‘food’ in America. :) Good job Lisa!
Question- I froze my berries so they wouldn’t go bad before I had a chance to make the jam- do I fully defrost before starting? Can I even still use them? Thanks!!!!
Emily
August 5, 2014 at 12:30 amCan you use honey that has crystallized?
Carolyn
August 9, 2014 at 3:48 pmI just did. It seemed to work fine
Emily
August 22, 2014 at 1:48 amOK, it worked for me too. :) Delicious!
stephanie Maples
August 6, 2014 at 10:52 amIt worked. The cans popped. But the jelly is very liquify. Will it firm up?
Marisa McClellan
August 6, 2014 at 2:10 pmIt will firm up some. However, this is naturally a softer set jam.
Carolyn
August 9, 2014 at 3:46 pmThanks so much. This was so easy. I have a very large frying pan and I was able to double the batch. The blueberries I used are high bush wild and very sweet so I only used 1 cup of honey for the 2 quarts of blueberries. It’s perfect! Also I used a wooden spoon to stir it :). Thanks again.
Maria
August 11, 2014 at 8:52 pmDoes a water bath even need to be done? Won’t the jars ‘self can’ with hot jam and hot lids? … I’m about to try ;-)
Marisa
August 11, 2014 at 9:15 pmI highly recommend doing the boiling water bath for this preserve. Honey sweetened jams don’t keep as well as sugar sweetened ones and just allowing this preserve to seal is running the risk that it will mold fairly quickly.
Maria
August 11, 2014 at 9:43 pmThanks for the information – I’m setting up a make-shift water bather right now.
Marisa McClellan
August 11, 2014 at 10:41 pmSo glad to help!
Missy
August 22, 2014 at 4:09 pmI tried this with grapes and it never set. I am thinking about reboiling it and trying again – do you think adding the shredded apple from the strawberry jam recipe could help? On another note, I made this with blueberries and it turned out perfectly!
Marcia
August 24, 2014 at 1:19 pmWould it be safe to sterilize the jars and lids and then put the cooked mixture in it and NOT do the water bath? Just put the jars on the counter wrapped in towels until I hear the “pop”? I don’t have room for freezer jam and don’t have the right pans for a water bath.
Marisa McClellan
August 24, 2014 at 7:12 pmYou need to either do the water bath or keep this jam in cold storage. Honey doesn’t keep things as well as sugar and so it will mold in a couple of weeks if you skip the boiling water bath and keep it at room temperature.
Jennifer
September 18, 2014 at 3:36 pmI’ve now used this recipe to make blueberry jam, golden raspberry jam, fire dapple pluot + golden raspberry jam, yellow plum jam (with varieties including rosemary and vanilla), and cherry + nectarine jam. IN LOVE.
Marisa
September 18, 2014 at 11:09 pmJennifer, I’m delighted that you’re so happy with this technique!
Ilir
February 4, 2015 at 4:13 pmA truly wonderful recipe. The honey here in UK comes in 340g jars so I decided to use it all. From the quantities you give in the original recipes the amount of blueberries to honey works out 3 : 1. So I used 1kg blueberries with 340g honey and juice of half lemon. I cooked it for 20 minutes instead and put it in jars. It has a lovely and thick consistency and I look forward to consuming it. Thank you very much for the lovely recipe.
nafeeza
May 21, 2015 at 8:59 amNice post.. thks for sharing dear Regards
Jackie
September 18, 2015 at 5:54 pmI am new to making jam and canning and am about to try this delightful recipe. My question is – how much headspace do I leave if I am doing the water bath method? I made peach jam earlier this week and that recipe called for 1/4 inch. Is it the same for this jam? Thank you!
Marisa
September 19, 2015 at 11:45 amYou want to have between 1/2 and 1/4 inch headspace.
Marilynn
February 1, 2016 at 1:08 pmNeeded to make space in my freezer so I decided to look for a blueberry jam recipe to use up some of the berries from last summer (I have love all of yours that I have made) …this one looked like a winner since I love honey too.
Turned out perfect! Had some warm on the greek yogurt I made last night! Five stars!
plasterers bristol
March 22, 2016 at 1:36 pmOh wow, sounds yummy. I love blueberry ice cream. Thanks,
Simon
Laurie Bowen
May 19, 2016 at 9:18 pmHow do you know this is safe? Have you run it by your local college extension?
Marisa McClellan
May 20, 2016 at 10:15 amThis recipe is safe because blueberries are a high acid food. The safety of recipes depends on their having a pH that’s 4.6 or below. Blueberries generally have a pH of 3.3-3.7. That’s well below the cut-off. The honey is pH neutral, and the lemon juice adds to the acid content. There’s no need to request additional testing or approval from an outside body for a recipe like this one.
Darlene
May 20, 2016 at 12:15 pmWould this work with Rhubarb? I have lots and would like to use it in jam.
Marisa McClellan
May 20, 2016 at 4:06 pmIt would work beautifully with rhubarb. You may not need the lemon juice, though, since rhubarb is quite tart all on its own.
Darlene
May 20, 2016 at 6:46 pmThanks, thought it likely would, but wanted to make sure. :)
Sherri
June 9, 2016 at 12:22 pmDo you have a recipe to can blueberries with honey. Not jam just the whole berry?
Thanks
Sherri
Marisa McClellan
June 10, 2016 at 2:57 pmThere is a recipe to do just that in my new book, Naturally Sweet Food in Jars.
Asl
June 18, 2016 at 1:52 pmI was just wondering if I can make this recipe using white granulated sugar instead of honey? Thanks! :D
Larissa
July 1, 2016 at 7:50 pmI like to use Chia seeds instead of pectin in my jam.
Marisa
July 1, 2016 at 9:33 pmJams thickened with chia seeds are not safe to can in a boiling water bath.
Sandra
July 2, 2016 at 11:01 amWould you need the two grated apples for rhubarb jam?
And do you have a guess on the proportion of rhubarb to honey? Or maybe the substitution of the sugar for honey?
Otherwise, I’ll experiment. I can always use it as a topping instead of a jam. And we enjoy adding our fresh jams to plain yoghurt rather than buying to over sweet pre made fruit yoghurts.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Leanne
July 6, 2016 at 3:08 pmI used maple syrup instead of honey and found that I needed to boil it down 15 minutes instead of 10.
Sharla
July 6, 2016 at 6:05 pmI saw that you said agave would work. Is it the same amount as the honey?
I made a honey batch today and it tastes great! Set up really well. I pureed my berries as I don’t like chunky jam. That probably helped with the pectin/setting!
Marisa
July 6, 2016 at 8:13 pmHoney and agave are interchangeable.
Marvin
July 17, 2016 at 6:22 pmI am very displeased about how this recipe only made 2 1/2, 8 ounce Mason jars. It was a waste of my time for such little outcome. :(
Chet
July 24, 2016 at 3:04 pmWo. It said “small batch” right up front.
Marvin
July 27, 2016 at 12:05 pm“Small Batch” usually means about 4 not 2. Why not just use a different recipe that takes the same amount of time for a bigger outcome. It is just rediculous who only makes 2 1/2 small jars at one time. I don’t know about you but I do not have so much time where I can do this 10 more times in one day.
Dena
July 25, 2016 at 8:12 amI made one batch of this with blueberries and another batch with blueberries and a few peaches added in. I also made a batch of just peach. They all turned out great! I loved the flavor and there was no icky aftertaste like you get with commercial jam or jelly. My friend is on a very restricted diet due to an autoimmune disorder, but she can eat this because of the simple ingredeints of blueberries and honey from my back yard. Thank you for sharing!
Allison
August 31, 2016 at 10:41 pmThank you for this recipe! Was a great way to use surplus berries
Lori
September 21, 2016 at 11:21 amCan I use lemon juice from store instead of fresh squeezed for blueberry jam? If so how much?
Marisa
September 21, 2016 at 1:39 pmSure. You’ll want about 1 1/2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice.
Oana
September 30, 2016 at 11:55 pmCan I blend the fruit instead of mashing it? Or roughly chop it in a food processor?
Marisa
October 4, 2016 at 3:34 pmPulsing it gently in a food processor works. Take care not to pulverize the berries though, as that breaks up their natural pectin.
SOFY
April 7, 2017 at 10:24 pmI want to make this jam .
It says if we heat honey it is not good and also its natural uses will die
Can we add honey after the fruits are done
Alice Sprague
June 29, 2017 at 10:27 pmCan I seal with paraffin?
Marisa
June 29, 2017 at 11:15 pmNo. That is not a safe or reliable method of sealing. It is not a technique that should ever be used these days.
Tammy
July 8, 2017 at 3:09 pmMy boss bought me 10 pounds of fresh Michigan blueberries as a surprise. I decided I wanted to make jam for him as a thank you. He is diabetic and 7 cups of sugar in jam recipe is a no go for him. This jam was perfect. It set up wonderfully and has an amazingly fresh blueberry taste to it. I was thrilled to see this recipe and wanted to thank you for it.
Cindy Dutcher
July 27, 2017 at 3:34 pmAfter cooking the berries down and adding honey and lemon juice, do you funnel or strain before putting in jars. I plan to do the shelf preservation compared to refrigerator.
Marisa
August 2, 2017 at 10:35 pmThis is jam, not a jelly. No straining is required.
Dolly
September 8, 2017 at 3:38 pmI am trying to revert to a Whole Foods plant based diet. Would organic pure maple syrup work like honey for this process ?
Lisa Gilchrist
October 4, 2017 at 3:11 pmCan the fruits be strained to make a more jelly like spread?
Marisa
October 10, 2017 at 2:25 pmIt won’t set up if you do that. Jellies need additional pectin because they don’t have the fiber of the fruit playing a role in creating the set.
Tamara
June 9, 2018 at 4:40 pmCooking with honey is toxic. Heating honey kills all the nutrients and heating changes the nature of the honey causing it to become like glue in the gut, causing digestive issues. It does not matter how clean or real a food is if it is not prepared properly it can cause issues within the body. A cook book called Wise Traditions tells why and how to properly prepare real food for max nutrition.This site does A good job of show casing real food but does not do a good job on showing how to properly prepare it.
Ann Balough
July 2, 2018 at 4:21 pmThis is myth. Toxic= nerve agent. Honey is primarily glucose & fructose. Heat will not damage it! In fact honey does not spoil. Ever.
this is basic organic chemistry/food science.
Tamara
July 3, 2018 at 9:31 amNot a myth. If you do your research you will find out. There have been studies done to prove it is unwise to cook with honey. Check out Ayurveda, Weston A. Price,Wise Traditions all of these along with many other scientific studies will explain why. Besides heating honey kills all the beneficial enzymes giving it no nutritional value making it no different than white sugar. Why spend all that money on expensive honey then kill all benefits by heating. There are wiser sweeteners to cook and bake with as all real foodies know.
Saneda Deborah
August 4, 2018 at 1:06 amHeating raw honey above 40 degrees Celsius is not considered toxic by mainstream medical sources. It can destroy many of the beneficial nutrients and enzymes fund in raw honey, but consider that most grocery store honey has been pasteurized above this heat.. It is considered considered toxic by Maharishi Ayurveda, a controversial system of alternative medicine, one not generally accepted by Western scientists. When raw honey is heated or aged, it creates 5-Hydroxymethyl-2-furancarboxaldehyde (HMF).
HMF has been reported to have negative effects on human health, such as cytotoxicity toward mucous membranes, the skin and the upper respiratory tract; mutagenicity; chromosomal aberrations; and carcinogenicity toward humans and animals. Many food items sweetened with high fructose corn syrups, e.g. carbonated soft drinks, can have levels of HMF between 100 and 1,000 mg/kg.
Conversely, HMF, which is converted to a non-excretable, genotoxic compound called 5-sulfoxymethylfurfural, is beneficial to human health by providing antioxidative, anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, anti-hypoxic, anti-sickling, and anti-hyperuricemic effects.
HMF is present in many of our foods, from garden onions, tomatoes, numerous plant species, tobacco, processed foods, and coffee – and the levels in these foods are generally higher than found in honey that has been treated. However, the levels necessary for these effects to be significant are unclear. One article I found from the NIH said “Hence, no relevance for humans concerning carcinogenic and genotoxic effects can be derived. The remaining toxic potential is rather low.”
A more recent article states that there is. not enough research at present to determine a safe daily intake of HMF. Chem Cent J. 2018; 12: 35. However,
Published online 2018 Apr 4. doi: 10.1186/s13065-018-0408-3
A final note on honey in general – honey can be contaminated with heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, mercury and cadmium. Honey produced from the nectar of Rhododendron ponticum contains alkaloids that can be poisonous to humans, while honey collected from Andromeda flowers contains grayanotoxins, which can cause paralysis of limbs in humans and eventually leads to death. I think that as with any food, moderation will keep you safe here. It would appear that some cooked honey is not as bad for you as some coffee and a sugary roll. And the honey we get in the US is generally not going to be collected from the above mentioned plants – but if in doubt – ask your honey retailer. Likely,in the latter instance, someone would have been the canary in the coal mine and no honey from that source would be sold.
Tamara
August 4, 2018 at 8:07 amI am fully aware and educated in all the info you provided. Because of my knowledge it does bother me that so many people think they are getting healthier by using grocery store honey and also cooking with honey. Some people even buy the very good quality raw honey then destroy it by cooking it thinking they are doing something that adds to their nutrition, when in fact they are in essence ending up with food that is sweetened with nothing no different than white sugar. Just want people to realize this cooking honey method is not any healthier than sugar.
Brandi Schepers
July 5, 2018 at 12:19 amHi there! Would this recipe work well for Saskatoon berries? Just wondering about the seediness and taste of them for it:)