Sunday, July 8, 2012

Apple-Blueberry Conserve


Conserve is jam, for those who were wondering. This is a fast, easy jam that does not require sealing,  always a plus. It, unlike most of the forms of  marmalade I have enountered, also does not require boiling for  hours and hours to thicken. When it says boil for twenty minutes, it means boil for twenty minutes, or maybe twenty-five.
In the high and faroff times when everyone was a locavor, this recipe must  have used year old apples, since  blueberries ripen in July or maybe August in Maine, and apples don't ripen until September. I used Granny Smith apples.
This recipe also has the benefit of not making too much  jam. Even before I embarked on the blog, I used to make various condiments from the Miscellaneous section. The problem was, the jars would hang around for years. I threw about five pints of Fuling Mill Farm Chili Sauce from 2005 away a couple of years ago.  My system for getting rid of the output must have gotten better. I went through the closet  where we keep the canning jars and discovered only one jar of what I suspect is Lemon-Peach-Ginger Conserve, from 2011. The beet-cabbage pickle from 2010 was all gone. Part of the problem is, I no longer eat  bread, and since I do the shopping, Bob doesn't eat it either.  
But if you haven't joined the half the eaters in the US who have decided they are glueten intolerant,  slather this stuff on  your  bread. My understanding is the hipsters are all about homemade jam. What better jam to make than something that A. doesn't take too long, and B. doesn't make too much?

 Apple-Blueberry Conserve

4 cups chopped, cored, peeled tart apples (about 4 medium size apples)
4 cups blueberries stemmed and washed
6 cups sugar
1/2 cup raisins
1/4  cup lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped pecans

1. Combine all the ingredients except the pecans in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil slowly. (Note: you may, as I did, wonder how solids with only 1/4 cup  l iquid can be brought to a boil. Well,  blueberries are mostly liquid and you will have a boilable substance within a minute or so.), stirring occasionally  until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Cook rapidly until thick, about twenty minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Add the pecans during the last few minutes of cooking. Pour the  boiling hot conserve into hot sterilized half-pint canning jars. Adjust the caps. Cpp; amd store in a cool, dark,  dry place. Makes 7 half  pints.

No comments:

Post a Comment