I have not yet seen fresh local blueberries but I know they are coming. Perhaps you’re already seeing them in your local markets? Blueberries so remind me of my east coast summers growing up. We would have blueberry pies, cobblers and pancakes plus blueberries for topping on cereal and ice cream. 

Chateau la Canorgue - BonnieuxThis time last summer Ed and I were enjoying a week in Provence in the south of France with friends. There was lavender everywhere! We were fortunate to be there when the lavender was actually in bloom. This lavender field was at Château la Canorgue winery near Bonnieux in Provence. If you have seen the movie A Good Year part of it was filmed here.

Now whenever I cook or bake with lavender it brings me back to that great vacation. I grow culinary lavender in my garden, but you can also use dried culinary lavender.

Here I’ve brought both blueberries and lavender together for a simple to make jam (think ‘quick jam’). There’s no jarring in this recipe. It’s a fresh jam that should be eaten in a few weeks – which shouldn’t be a problem since it’s pretty tasty. Or it can be frozen which is a great way to preserve summer fruit.

I originally served this at a Gourmet Dinner Club dinner with Maple Mini-Muffins (Gluten-Free) but this jam will pair well with any muffin (including English) or toast. As it’s a little more runny than traditional jam – it doesn’t contain pectin which is what causes it to gel more – so you could also put it on ice cream or yogurt.

You could also mix up the berries in this jam or use equal amounts of frozen fruit.  No need to thaw the fruit, you may just need to cook it a bit longer until it breaks down.

Blueberry-Lavender Jam

 

Blueberry-Lavender Jam
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Recipe type: Sauce
Author:
Serves: 2 cups
Ingredients
  • 6 cups of fresh blueberries (~ 3 pints)
  • 1 cup turbinado sugar (raw sugar)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh culinary lavender (both flowers and leaves) (see Notes)
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • ⅛ teaspoon Kosher salt
Instructions
  1. In at least a four-quart pot, stir blueberries and sugar together. Let macerate until sugar begins to dissolve into fruit, about 10 minutes.
  2. Over medium heat bring blueberry and sugar mixture to a boil.
  3. Stir in lavender, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt. Reduce heat to medium-low.
  4. Gently simmer until fruit breaks down and starts to cook down, thickening slightly, about 15 to 20 minutes. If the fruit isn’t breaking down on its own, use the back of a wooden spoon to help it do so. If you like a chunkier jam, you likely will not need to do this step.
  5. The jam is almost done when it coats the back of a wooden spoon. It may still be loose but will thicken up as it cools.
  6. Once cool, transfer to a container(s).Refrigerate for up to 3 weeks or freeze for up to 6 months. The jam will expand slightly if frozen, so leave some room in whatever container you use (plastic or glass).
Notes
* If you don’t have fresh lavender, you can substitute 2 teaspoons dried culinary lavender.
* While fresh fruit is preferred, you can use the same amount of frozen fruit. You do not need to thaw the fruit. You may need an additional 5 minutes or so for cooking down.
* Recipe can be doubled.
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Source:  Variation on a recipe from The Kitchn