I’ve made blueberry butter to go in the holiday teacher gift boxes for H’s school a couple of years running now, and once or twice in between. Sometimes I throw in some maple syrup, sometimes I make it with lower sugar, but this is the general recipe I like to use, from Chowhound. It’s pure essence of blueberry, and smeared on a piece of buttery toast it’s like nirvana. These ingredients make about 3 pints, or 6 little half pints (I like the small jars for gifts).
We did a ton of peach picking in the last weeks of summer, so I made a big batch of peach bbq sauce and this jam.
Hot damn.
It was kind of an afterthought; peaches are one of H’s favorites to pick, but not the fruit I get most excited about. Every time we pick them I end up with a fridge full of peaches and all kinds of recipes that just don’t excite me. And it takes forever to blanch them and peel them.
Last year in early November, with the very last remnants of my spoils from apple season, I made this fantastic jam for Thanksgiving. I gave jars of it to H’s teachers at school the day before Thanksgiving break last year (but not this year, she was out sick with an ear infection the whole week). We served it at the table for the big feast. We served the last jar of it last week for Thanksgiving, and I still forgot to take photos of the jarred goodness instead of the giant pot of hot goop.