Blueberry Jalapeño Jam

Instructions

1. Prepare blueberries and peppers Wash 20 cups fresh blueberries thoroughly, remove any stems, and drain well. Finely chop 10 jalapeño peppers (seed 5 peppers and leave seeds in the remaining 5 peppers) and finely chop 2 habanero peppers (seed 1 pepper and leave seeds in 1 pepper).
   Wear gloves when handling jalapeño and habanero peppers to protect your hands from the oils.
2. Combine jam ingredients in pot In a large heavy-bottomed stock pot, add 5 cups water, 20 cups fresh blueberries, the chopped 10 jalapeño peppers, the chopped 2 habanero peppers, 15 cups sugar, and 5 tablespoons lemon juice. Stir to combine all the blueberries, peppers, sugar, and lemon juice evenly.
3. Cook blueberry mixture Place the pot with the 20 cups blueberries, 5 cups water, chopped peppers, 15 cups sugar, and 5 tablespoons lemon juice over medium-high heat. Stir often as the mixture heats, crushing the blueberries against the side of the pot as they float to help them break down and release juice.
4. Boil until frothy Bring the blueberry and pepper mixture to a full boil over medium-high heat. Cook until a purple froth forms across the surface of the mixture, continuing to stir frequently. The purple froth will subside after cooking and cooling.
5. Add pectin Add 5 packages Certo pectin to the boiling blueberry jalapeño mixture. Stir in the 5 packages Certo thoroughly and cook according to the package directions, maintaining a full rolling boil for the time specified for jams.
6. Fill jars Remove the pot from heat. Working carefully, ladle the hot blueberry jalapeño jam into sterilized jelly jars, leaving appropriate headspace as recommended for jam (usually about 1/4 inch). Wipe jar rims clean, then place new lids on each jar and screw the rings on snugly but not overly tight.
   Keep jars and lids hot until filling for best sealing results.
7. Process in hot water bath Place the filled jars into a large pot of hot water, ensuring the jars are covered by 1–2 inches of water. Bring the water to a gentle boil and process the jars for 5 minutes. Start timing once the water reaches a steady boil over the tops of the jars.
8. Cool and check seals Using a jar lifter, carefully remove the jars from the hot water bath and place them on a towel-lined counter to cool. Let the jars sit undisturbed until completely cool. Listen for the lids to pop—this can happen anywhere from 2 minutes to 2 hours after processing. Any jars that do not seal (no pop and lid not firmly concave) should be refrigerated and used promptly.