How To Make Blueberry Lavender Jam

Lavender is a weird thing.  Either you love it or you hate it.  There is the hippie-type pungent lavender that lines the aisles of Whole Foods in the form of goat's milk soap and bath salts.  File that under gross...right after patchouli. 

Then there is the sweet smelling lavender that has a hint of vanilla.  That's good lavender.  I have several different types of lavender in my yard.  It's really too humid and hot here for lavender to grow and bloom like it should but I like them just the same. 

I happen to also love the taste of lavender.  It's not all that common to find lavender as a flavor in foods (I first tried it in a popsicle) so when I wanted how to make blueberry lavender jam, I had some work to do.  I found a few recipes with lavender buds added directly to the jam but really, who wants to eat a dried flower bud on toast? Not me.

I started with a basic blueberry jam recipe.  If you're looking for a good starting point for canning, I recommend Food In Jars.  (Steer clear of any pectin-free jam recipes.  I'd like to consider myself fairly experienced at this point and I can't even make those work.)

Ingredient:
6 cups of smashed blueberries (about 8 cups whole berries)
5 cups sugar 
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 (3oz) packets of liquid pectin
1/2 ounce dried lavender buds (found at Fresh Market) that have been steeped in 3/4 cup boiling water for 10 minutes to make a "tea". 

Direction:
1. Combine smashed blueberries and sugar in a large pot.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently so the bottom doesn't burn.  
2. Add lemon juice and cook for about 15 minutes until jam starts to thicken and is shiny.
3. Add pectin packets and return to a boil for a full 5 minutes.
4. Remove pot from heat and ladle into sterilized jars.  (Sterilized = washed in the dishwasher and kept hot in a 200-degree oven while you are making your jam.)
5. Fill each jar leaving 1/2" room at the top of the jar. Wipe off any jam on the rims of the jars before putting sterilized hot lids and rings on.

Now..if you want plain ole blueberry jam you're done! If you want to add lavender, you're almost there.  I tried a few batches and what I discovered is no matter how much lavender "tea" I added to my jam while it was cooking, I could never really taste it in the finished product.  What I did instead added 1 1/2 Tbsp of lavender tea to each pint after I filled them and then gave them a quick stir.  For some reason, adding the lavender at the end helps the flavor really come through.

My absolute favorite way to eat this blueberry lavender jam is on a piece of crusty bread with goat cheese.  Publix has honey goat cheese that goes perfectly.  Delicious!