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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.
Do you think I can substitute and use lavender sugar (sugar with lavender buds in it)? Thanks.
No, it definitely will not be the same. Lavender essential oil is very potent and it would take sooo many lavender buds to even compare. You probably wouldn’t even be able to taste the lavender if you used the lavender sugar.
This + some scones … I’m all over it.
So pretty, love the lavender in this!
Beautiful! Yummm.
I lovemaking jam. I’m making a blueberry lemon jam as wedding favors. The lavender in this sounds awesome.
Gorgeous jam with a wonderful flavor profile and color! What would life be without fresh, homemade jam and lifelong gal pals? So many applications for this lovely jam, too. Thank you for sharing another great recipe, Julie!
I miss my blueberry bushes. We plan to plant them on our “farm” but it isn’t a “priority”.
Hopefully there are some u-pick blueberry fields around here.
I’m so glad that you got to spend some quality time with good friends. :) This jam looks delicious.
Would canning this in smaller jars destroy the essential oil?
It shouldn’t! If it’s a quick dip in the hot water, you should be fine.
Looks great, Julie! I’m a huge fan of jam for breakfast lately, and I was already craving for some new tastes :)