Blueberry-Habenero Jam: The Bounty of Summer with a Mean Kick

Blueberry – Habenero Jam

Yield:  approximately 5 pint or 10 1/2 pint jars

It has been much too long since my last post.  Finishing my dissertation was first on my priority list.  I must admit, despite the protest of distractors, that I thoroughly enjoyed the privilege of writing my thesis.  Yes, there were times when I felt defeated, incapable, and terribly confused, but as a whole, having the time to concentrate on one thing, to think hard on a topic that is so important, was amazing, and the privilege of having this time is not lost on me.

It is height of summer, and I just spent two weeks in Oregon, where beautiful berries grow so plentifully, that they are easy to take for granted.  But, returning to Illinois, I found myself missing them.  Alas, they are not the same having to be shipped hundreds or even thousands of miles to my local store.  Yesterday, I stumbled upon a stash of local berries, so I decided to run with the inspiration I had at the Portland Farmer's Market.  An aside on the PDX market....it makes me cry.  It's true.  Real tears.  The organic, locally grown fruits and vegetables lovingly and artfully placed in carefully arranged baskets; the handmade pastries, preserves, and cheeses made by the clearly-passionate sellers; and the abundant, brilliantly arranged flowers put a taste in my mouth of both melancholy and sheer joy at the same time.  Melancholy because Central Illinois is so woefully incomparable to Oregon, and, joyous because of the sheer beauty of all this labor of love.

Back to jam.  At the market, I tasted a virtual cornucopia of jams.  One theme of the jams I found at the Portland market was that of peppers. I found them in combination with most everything.  Growing up, my mother made the most beautiful red pepper jelly.  I recall the many hours it would take her to hand chop beautiful red peppers. I recall the taste of the peppers and vinegar in contrast to the sweetness of the sugar.  I loved this jelly and make it each year in my mother's honor.  These jams I tasted at the market reminded me of my mother's jelly, so I decided to combine her recipe with the inspiration of the fruited jellies of the market.  What follows is a recipe for a most interesting and firey concoction.  It's sweet, like a jam.  It smells and tastes of beautiful, fresh blueberries, but it has a smoky kick to it from the chiles, that is backgrounded by a hint of sourness from the vinegar.  Though not unbearably hot, this jam is spicy.  I had it this morning on some homemade whole wheat bread with butter.  I loved it.  I can also imagine it being served with a cheese plate, or as my mother would serve her pepper jelly, spooned atop cream cheese to be eaten with water crackers.  I'd love to hear what others do with it!  

Jam may seem intimidating, but this one is easy.  It is a great starter jam.  If you are worried about the heat, you can add fewer chiles, or you can strain them out before adding the cooking liquid to the blueberries.  Whatever you do, make sure you are wearing gloves when working with the chiles, remove the seeds and chop them very finely.  Big chunks would be unpleasant in this recipe.

Ingredients:

5 cups blueberries, picked through and well washed

1 cup white wine vinegar, divided

1 ½ cup water, divided

6 habenero chiles, seeded and finely minced

5 ½ cups sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

4 oz. pectin

Directions:

If you are going to can this jam, you will need to sterilize 5 or 10 1/2 pint jars.  You can do this by boiling a large pot of water and submerging the jars for 10 minutes.  Also sterilize 10 new lids and screwtops in the same manner.  Combine chiles, ¾ cup vinegar and ½  cup water.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  Meanwhile, add blueberries, sugar, ¼ cup vinegar, 1 cup water, and salt in a large, heavy bottomed pot.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  Skim off any foam that rises.  Add the pepper mixture to the blueberries and carefully taste to make sure the sugar, vinegar, salt ratio is right.  It will be spicy, so be careful, this is not for the faint of heart.  If needed, add sugar, salt or vinegar to your liking.  Let this simmer another 5 minutes or so.  Add the pectin*, stirring with a whisk to make sure it is all blended in well.  Bring to a boil for one minute. Bring your large canning pot filled with enough water to cover the jars (when full—think displacement) by about one inch back up to the boil Spoon the jam into the jars leaving about ¼ inch of space between the jam and the top of the jar (this is called “head space”).  Wipe the jar lid free of any drips with a damp paper towel.  Screw on the lid (but not super tightly).  Repeat until you have no more jam.  Place the jars carefully in the boiling water and continue to boil for 5 -10 minutes (five will be fine if the jam was just off the boil).  Remove the jars. Let them sit until you see that the centers of the lids have been vacuumed to the jar (you’ll see an indent).  At this point, you can remove the screw tops part, wipe them off, label them with a scull and crossbones and the date (month and year) and put them up for a later date.  I hope you enjoy this fun process!

* This is a lot of pectin and makes a very firm jam. If you like your jams to be more runny, what I recommend is that when you add the smaller amount of pectin (start with 2 ounces), put a tablespoon in a small glass that is filled with ice and water.  After the one minute, remove the spoon and drop a few dribbles of jam on it.  It will cool quickly and you can see what the consistency will be.  If needed, you can add more pectin at this point and again, boil it for a minute, then repeat the testing process until you get the consistency you prefer.