Recently our family discovered a blueberry farm, Meadowlark Farms of Fairhope, that did pick and split. Most people don't have a clue that this is available or what it is. We went and picked blueberries and they let us keep half and they kept half for FREE.
This is an excellent way to get free fruit if you are willing to do the work. I can also be a great activity to do with your kids. I loaded up the kiddos and we went a couple of times and got enough to make jam and some to freeze. My son asked how much he would be getting paid to pick blueberries. I told him he was providing us with blueberries for the year so he could enjoy blueberry pancakes. He thought this was a fair trade.
To freeze the blueberries we removed the stems and placed them in freezer bags. We measured them by cups so we knew how many cups were in each bag. We didn't wash and freeze them because then they are stuck together. We will do that when we thaw them.
Jenaveve and I worked on the blueberry jam recipe. You can find this recipe HERE . We chopped our blueberries instead of mashing them. From the research the mashing vs the chopping in the food processor can add air and reduce the pectin from the skins. We added pectin **(sure jell) so we had no issues with it jelling or getting firm. I used Knob Creek bourbon whiskey in our jam. I bought a small bottle last year for another recipe and still have plenty left for this jam recipe. So don't think you need to go buy a large bottle.
Unless you are a bourbon drinker. I am not and that stuff will last forever in my pantry. Don't worry the alcohol cooks out of the jam and leaves a nice smokey after taste to the jam.
I cut the vanilla pods down the center, end to end, and cooked them in the jam the entire process. Jenaveve loved the jam so much and said it was one of her favorites. I have been schooling her in the art of jam making this summer. As we are doing the process I asked her questions about making jam to see what she has retained from our jamming sessions. During this particular jam making we listened to music and made sure we really did jam while we were jamming.
Do we sell our jam? Yes, we do sell our jam while supplies last. We do seasonal fruits and jams so when it's in season that's what is available. You can find what is available on our website. Let us know if you have any questions or need some tips on this blueberry jam. It makes a very big batch and is super yummy.
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Looks delicious