I went to grad school with Laena McCarthy, founder of the Brooklyn jam company Anarchy in a Jar. We didn’t know each other; she’s a face I remember from the hallways. But we ended up as Facebook friends during that time, and I’ve followed her updates as she founded her company and built this really cool artisanal jam empire. I became especially interested after I got the bug to start canning a couple of years ago when Meredith started (which reminds me that I still have museum photos to post from the summer). What is about librarians and canning? I also met Meredith in grad school.
Anyway, when Laena published her cookbook Jam On last year, I bought it. But I didn’t really get a chance to dive into it until this year. Last month I made her Easy Like Sunday Morning Blueberry Preserves with the fresh local blueberries I bought and froze over the summer. I had been hoping to get my hands on wild Maine blueberries (which this recipe calls for) during our road trip in August, but every farm I called and emailed had sold out within days of our arrival in Maine. I spiraled a lot over that one, but these preserves are pretty amazing with good old local New Jersey berries–I always have a bunch in the freezer for muffins all year, and I used my entire crop this year on these preserves. Well worth it.
Easy Like Sunday Morning Blueberry Preserves
Makes 4 8oz jars or 2 pints
2.25 cups blueberries about 6 cups)
3.5 cups sugar
2 ounces maple syrup
2 Tbsp lemon juice