If you’re familiar with making homemade jam, then you’re probably used to a process that involves adding lots of sugar and pectin to cooked fruit to create a thick jam consistency. This recipe is very different. Many fruits naturally contain pectin, which comes out in the cooking process. Instead of water bath-canning the jam, this recipe uses lacto-fermentation to preserve the fruit. The high sugar content of fruits and jams can make lacto-fermentation tricky as the sugars tend to convert to alcohol quickly. That is why the use of a starter culture is important. Salt is also added to this jam, giving it a unique flavor and helping with preservation.
30 minutes
180 minutes
2
INGREDIENTS AND EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE AT CULTURES FOR HEALTH
INGREDIENTS:
- Generous 2 lbs. of blueberries
- 3/4 cup honey or Sucanat
- 2 tsp. sea salt
- 1/3 cup whey from yogurt or kefir
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Combine blueberries, sweetener, and salt in a small saucepan. Cook for five minutes at a simmer, smashing the blueberries as they cook to allow juices to release.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Once blueberry mixture has cooled, mix in the whey (water kefir can be used as a direct substitution for whey). Transfer to very clean jam jars and seal tightly. Allow to ferment at room temperature for about 2 days. Burp jars if you notice excess gases building up.
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Move the jar to cold storage where it should keep for a couple of months.
