Quick Blueberry Jam

This recipe is, as Paula Deen would say, almost "stupid easy." Three ingredients, boil, stir, cool, serve. You can make a homemade berry jam in less than half an hour. When I needed a quick break from Moby-Dick this morning, and I remembered the two pints of fresh blueberries sitting in my fridge, this seemed like the obvious solution. And since the actual canning process terrifies me, a quick refrigerator jam is really my speed. Plus, I can't go to Big Bad Breakfast every time I crave blueberry jam, right?

Quick Blueberry Jam

(adapted from Local Flavors by Deborah Madison--simply the best farmer's market cookbook ever)

So the process is really quite simple. Rinse two pints of blueberries, regular or wild, fresh or frozen (thawed), and place in a big wide pot. Toss in 3/4 to 1 cup of sugar (taste your blueberries before adding sugar--the sweeter they are, the less sugar you'll need). Add the zest and juice of 1 lemon (or 1 lime). Stir, and bring to a boil. Once it hits a rapid boil, set a timer for 5 minutes and stir occasionally so that the sugar doesn't burn.

After 5 minutes, turn off the heat and spoon a little of the juice onto a plate and put that plate in the fridge for 7-8 minutes or until cool. Run a finger through it to see if it holds together. As long as its not still runny, your jam is done. (If it is runny, then return the pot to a boil for two more minutes and try this process again). Allow the jam to cool in the pot then ladle into Mason jars and place in the fridge. This jam will keep up to one month (if it lasts that long!).

Here are some ways to use this jam:

• on toast or a fresh, warm biscuit
• on cream cheese with whole wheat bread
• on a block of cream cheese with crackers for a quick southern appetizer
• as a salsa for fruit quesadillas (spread quesadillas with a mixture of softened cream cheese and grated parmesan; add some berries or peaches; toast on a griddle; spoon this jam--warmed--over top)
• warm and use as a topping for ice cream or frozen yogurt
• thin with a little maple syrup and warm up to use as a pancake topping

Let me know if you come up with any others, or if you adapt this method for other berries. I'm going blackberry-picking this afternoon, so I'll let you know how the jam turns out with blackberries, or a combination of blackberries and blueberries.