Blueberry Marmalade is a low-sugar cooked marmalade made with Pomona’s Universal Pectin. Pomona’s Pectin contains no sugar or preservatives and jells reliably with low amounts of any sweetener.This recipe was first sent to us by Terry Orr of Maine. He said: “I’m a first year jam maker at 71 and have become addicted.”We worked with Terry to re-make the recipe from a high-sugar to a low-sugar marmalade, and the result is quite delicious.
Notes
- Peeling citrus with a vegetable peeler is an easy way to get only the topmost layer and not have to scrape the white off the peel. Then peel the white off the orange and lemon with a paring knife.
- Terry makes this marmalade with 2 cups of sugar, but 1 cup of sugar was the right sweetness for us. This is why we tell you to start with 1 cup of sugar. You may or may not want to add more sugar after tasting. If you know you want to use more than 1 cup of sugar (up to 2 cups), feel free to stir the pectin into that amount of sugar and skip Step 11.
Servings 6 cups
Ingredients
- 6 cups whole blueberries divided
- 1 large lemon
- 1 medium orange
- ¾ cup water
- 3 teaspoons calcium water see step #1
- 1 cup sugar *see note
- 3 teaspoons Pomona’s Pectin mixed with sweetener
Instructions
- Before you begin, prepare calcium water.To do this, combine ½ teaspoon calcium powder (in the small packet in your box of Pomona’s pectin) with ½ cup water in a small, clear jar with a lid. Shake well.Extra calcium water should be stored in the refrigerator for future use.
- Wash jars, lids, and bands. Place jars in canner, fill canner 2/3 full with water, bring to a boil. Turn off heat, cover, and keep jars in hot canner water until ready to use. Place lids in water in a small sauce pan; cover and heat to a low boil. Turn off heat and keep lids in hot water until ready to use.
- Wash and measure blueberries. Put into large bowl and set aside.
- Wash and peel lemon and orange. Save the peel from both and scrape the white pith off the back of the peel. Thinly slice the peel into strips about 1/8 inch wide by ½ inch long (see Tip below).
- Put the water and the peel in a saucepan large enough to cook the jam in; bring to a boil and simmer covered 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
- Remove seeds and any remaining white pith from the peeled lemon and orange. Chop into ½ inch pieces and put pulp and juice into a bowl with 1 cup of the blueberries. Use an immersion blender to pulverize the lemon, orange, and blueberries, but don’t completely liquefy. Pulsing in a food processor would also work.
- Add the remaining 5 cups of blueberries and mash all together by hand. At this point you should have about 4½ cups of mashed fruit. Add this to the sauce pan with the simmered peel.
- Add calcium water, and mix well.
- Measure 1 cup sugar into a bowl. Thoroughly mix pectin powder into sugar. Set aside.
- Bring fruit mixture to a full boil. Add pectin-sugar mixture, stirring vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve the pectin while the jam comes back up to a boil. Once the jam returns to a full boil, turn off the heat.
- Taste the marmalade at this point. If you’re happy with the sweetness, proceed to Step 11. If the marmalade isn’t sweet enough, you can add more sugar now (see Note below), stir well, and return mixture to a boil. Once the jam returns to a full boil, remove it from the heat.
- Fill hot jars to ¼” of top. Wipe rims clean. Screw on 2-piece lids. Put filled jars in boiling water to cover. Boil 10 minutes (add 1 minute more for every 1,000 ft. above sea level). Remove from water. Let jars cool. Check seals; lids should be sucked down. Eat within 1 year. Lasts 3 weeks once opened.
Vilinta
If using frozen blueberries. Would you defrost first and then measure?
Shelby Collings
That is exactly right! Defrost then mash and measure 😊
Holli
Can this be converted to a freezer recipe?
Shelby Collings
It sure can! Simply fill your jars and allow them to come to room temperature before placing them in the freezer. You will skip the water bath canning process.
Jess
This sounds delicious! I’m wondering if it could be made with raw honey instead of sugar.
Shelby Collings
Either would be delicious! Blueberries can take on the flavor of honey quite strongly, if that helps you make your decision.
Happy jamming!
Tammy
Can I do this with lime instead of lemons
Shelby Collings
Absolutely!