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Do you ever have one of those weekends with some of your favorite girl friends that you never want to end? I was so lucky this weekend to have two of my favorite bloggers in town and staying with me. I honestly don’t remember the last time I laughed so hard and had the most amazing of conversations. I love that when you have really good girl friends, you can literally talk about anything and admit your secrets and not get judged or get real blunt advice. Oh and not to mention, when you have food blogger friends in town, the FOOD you eat is amazing. I got to try two new restaurants that have been on Jason and I’s DC-restaurant bucket list and I got to visit this market that I would never go out of my way to go to if it weren’t for having foodie friends in town. I really wish this weekend didn’t end so quickly. Real girl friends are ones that you never get sick of and never want to leave. Those friendships are the ones that last a lifetime.
After they left, another group of girl friends from college came over for lunch (I was seriously in an entertaining mood this weekend – I told you I was getting better about this!). These group of girls are another one of those ‘never tire’ group of friends. We all were in the same Chinese class all through college and have stayed in touch six years later. I treasure friendships like these. It’s hard to get together because we’ve all got such busy lives, but we are really trying to get together once every quarter and we just pick up where we left off. It makes me smile and really makes my heart full to know I have these kind of friendships in my life. It’s really what you need. Genuine friendships. Remember in high school, it was all about how many friends you had on Facebook? The older I get, the more I realize it’s not the quantity, but it’s always the quality.
Blueberry lavender is one of my favorite flavor combinations. If you haven’t, you should check out my blueberry lavender cake that I made a couple years ago and give that a go. However, if you don’t have the patience to make a cake, this blueberry lavender jam should quench your blueberry lavender thirst. The color, just like my blackberry lemon jam, is stunning. We love putting this on our Greek yogurt every morning with some granola and fresh fruit. It turns the yogurt into the most beautiful shade of purple :)
Blueberry Lavender Jam
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (907 g) blueberries, fresh or frozen
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- Juice of 1 lemon, see note
- 2-3 drops of lavender essential oil
Instructions
- In a medium pot over medium-high heat, add blueberries, sugar, and juice of 1 lemon.
- Cook down the blueberries until they reduce down and start to burst, stirring often. Turn down the heat to medium-low and use the back of a wooden spoon or spatula to press the blueberries against the side of the pot to burst the berries.
- Once the blueberries have reduced down and the mixture has thickened, about 30 minutes, remove pot from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
- Add the lavender essential oil and stir to incorporate.
- Evenly divide jam mixture into mason jars and store in fridge for up to two months.
Would I be able to can this recipe without destroying the flavor? If so, how long do you suggest that I process the jars in the boiling water?
hi Beth, I’m not familiar with canning so I can’t give the best advice here. Lavender oil is pretty strong so I don’t think you’d destroy the flavor too much with canning, however if you feel afterwards there isn’t much lavender flavor, you can always mix it into the jam some more. In terms of processing, again, I have never canned before so I can’t give any advice on that! My friend Lindsay is very well-versed in canning though so you may find better information here: https://www.loveandoliveoil.com/category/recipes/canning
Hi there! Is there any specific essential oil you used for this recipe ?
young living because that’s what i had at the time
Can’t wait to make this, sounds delicious. My SNL loves blueberries and I think the lavender addition takes it over the top. May try a batch with blackberries also – my favorite. Just wondering what size Mason/canning jars to get. Thank you!
Mine were 8 ounce jars but you could get larger if you wanted!
Thank you.
Hey , I love the sound of this jam and will definitely have a go :) but does the jam whilst cooking need to achieve a certain temperature? Jam Thermometer ?
xx
I just heat it up until it’s warm/hot. I didn’t use a jam thermometer or anything.
looking for pairing suggestions just picked up since of this from a local canner
Hi Christina, pairing suggestions meaning wine or what to put the jam on?