Blueberry Jelly

I am a huge fan of saskatoon jelly, but when I can't get saskatoon berries I settle for blueberries, which are also delicious. Along with all the fruit that came out was a large bucket of blueberries. Knowing that with all the fruit I had, I would not be able to eat them before they were done, I made myself some jelly, so I can enjoy blueberries all year long.

I got this recipe for Blueberry Jelly from the kraft website, I have added a couple of notes into the recipe.

Ingredients:
4 cups prepared juice (about 2 qt. fully ripe blueberries, I used about 4 lbs)
2 pouches CERTO Fruit Pectin
1/2 tsp. butter or margarine
7-1/2 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl
8-9 sterilized half pint jars and lids
Directions:
1.Crush the berries, I put them for a quick chop in the food processor and this worked fine. The bonus is I didn’t get squirted with juice and it was a lot faster.
2.Put crushed berries, ½ cup water and ¼ cup of lemon juice into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Let simmer, covered, for about 5-10 mintues.
3.Pour mixture into a jelly bag (or cheesecloth) and let the juice drain out. Gently squeeze the bag and mix the content to insure you get all the juice out. This step takes a little while, I usually let it sit for 20 minutes or so (stops dripping) then mix and squeeze.
4.Measure 4 cups of juice (I have heard that you can add up to ½ cup of water if you are short, but I prefer to just make a bit more if I am short).
5.Combine juice and pectin in a pot and add the butter to reduce foaming. Bring the entire mixture to a full roiling boil (doesn’t stop boiling when stirred).
6.Stir in the sugar and return to a full boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
7.Remove from heat and skim off any foam. Ladel into sterile, warm jars, filling to ¼” of the rims and put the lids on.
8.Tighten the lids and put into a water bath (large pot of boiling water) and gently boil for 5 minutes. Note, the jars should be covered by 1 -2” of water. Remove and place on towl to cool and seal.

Reviews:
This was a great jelly. I can taste the blueberry and it isn’t overpoweringly sweet like some jellies.