The abundance of summer gives us so much beautiful produce to work with and put up for the fall and winter months. Unfortunately, this abundance comes at the very hottest time of the year—a time of year when it is hard to get excited about canning. Standing over the stove, stirring mixtures until they have reduced by half, is not what I want to do when the heat index is 110. Thankfully, there is an easier—and much cooler—way to turn fresh, summer fruits into delicious, whenever jams. It all begins with the humble crockpot.
The following recipes are timed based on my slow cooker. As you know, all crock pots cook differently, based on their age, size, and brand. Keep an eye on a jam the first time you try one of these recipes and adjust the heat settings and timing accordingly. Once you feel comfortable, you can let the jams cook while you sleep.
Blueberries are one of the first fruits available. They can be expensive if you don’t have your own blueberry bushes to plunder. One way to get all the blueberries you could possibly want is to visit a pick-your-own blueberry farm. The following recipes are not overly sweet. They both taste great on scones or pancakes.
Blueberry Mint Butter
- 5 pounds blueberries
- 4 cups sugar
- zest and juice of one lemon
- 2-3 sprigs of fresh mint
Rinse and drain blueberries. Place them in the crock pot, along with the remaining ingredients. Stir to mix well. Cook on high for two hours.
Turn the heat to medium. Place two butter knives across the top of the crock pot and set the lid on top of the knives. This will protect your workspace from splatter while allowing the steam to escape. Cook on medium for eight to ten hours, until mixture has reduced by half.
Remove and discard mint sprigs. Using a hand-held blender, process until completely smooth.
Sterilize six one-pint jars, lids, and rings. Ladle hot blueberry butter into the sterilized jars. Wipe the rims and apply lids and rings. Put jars in the canner and cover with one inch of water. Process in a hot water bath for 15 minutes.
Let cool on a folded towel for 12-24 hours. Once sealed, they are shelf-stable for up to one year.
Gingered Blueberry Bourbon Jam
- 5 pounds blueberries
- 3 ½ cups sugar
- zest and juice of two lemons
- 2 Tbsp. grated ginger
- 4 Tbsp. bourbon
Put all ingredients in the crock pot. Stir to mix well. Cover the crock pot loosely and cook on medium heat for ten to twelve hours, until it has cooked down to desired consistency.
Sterilize six one-pint jars, lids, and rings. Ladle hot jam into sterilized jars. Wipe the rims and apply lids and rings. Put jars in the canner and cover with one inch of water. Process in a hot water bath for 15 minutes.
Let cool on a folded towel for 12-24 hours. Once sealed, they are shelf-stable for up to one year.
Peaches are easy to find in farmer’s markets across the country. Many farmers are willing to give their slightly bruised or overripe peaches away for a song. Buy as many peaches as you are able. Once peeled and sliced, they hold up well in the freezer until you are ready to use them. If using frozen peaches for the following recipe, simply thaw first.
Peach Slow-cooker Jam
- 4 pounds peaches, washed, peeled, and sliced
- 1 ¼ cups honey
- ¼ cup white wine or water
- zest and juice of one lemon
Combine all ingredients in the crock pot. Stir to mix well. Cover and cook on high for one hour.
Turn heat to medium. Place two knives across the top of your crock pot and set the lid on top, allowing the steam to escape. Cook for six to eight hours. Using a potato masher, mash the peaches until they are the consistency you desire.
Sterilize four one-pint jars, lids, and rims. Ladle the hot peach jam into the sterilized jars and wipe clean. Apply lids and rims to finger tightness. Place in the canner and cover with two inches of water. Bring the water to a boil and process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes.
Let cool on a folded towel for 12-24 minutes. Properly sealed jars will store for up to a year.
For an interesting twist on this recipe, add one sprig of fresh rosemary while cooking. Pull the sprig out before ladling into the jars. Rosemary-Peach jam is terrific on vanilla ice cream and is a hit when served at a brunch.
Pears and apples are readily available. We are lucky to have wild pears growing all around us. If you do not have pear or apple trees of your own, take advantage of the farmers that do. It’s hard to find a farmer who isn’t willing to let you glean their orchards.
Vanilla Pear Jam
- 8 cups peeled, cored, and chopped pears
- 2 vanilla beans, split and scrape
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- zest and juice of one lemon
Put pears, vanilla bean paste, and sugars in the crock pot. Stir to blend well. Cover and cook on medium heat for two hours.
Add lemon zest and juice. Remove lid and continue cooking for eight to ten hours, stirring occasionally. Once the jam has cooked down to the consistency you like, use a potato masher to gently mash the pears. This jam does not need to be completely smooth so just mash until you are happy with the texture.
Sterilize four one-pint jars, lids, and rims. Ladle the hot pear jam into the sterilized jars. Clean the rims and apply the lids and rings to finger tightness. Place jars in the canner and cover with two inches of water. Bring the water to a boil and process jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Let cool on a folded towel for 12 hours. Ensure that the jars are properly sealed. Use sealed jars within a year. If a jar has not sealed, store in the refrigerator and eat as soon as possible.
Salted Caramel Pear Crockpot Jam
- 10 cups peeled, cored, and chopped pears
- ¼ cup water
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups packed dark brown sugar
- ½ tsp. cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
- zest and lemon of one lemon
- ½ tsp. sea salt
Put pears, water, sugars, cinnamon, and nutmeg in crock pot. Stir to blend well. Cover and cook on high heat for two hours.
Turn heat to medium. Place two knives across the top of the crock pot and set the lid on top. Cook until the mixture has reduced by half, eight to ten hours. Add the zest and juice of the lemon and sea salt. Stir to blend.
Sterilize six one-pint jars, lids, and rims. Ladle pear jam into the sterilized jars. Wipe the jar rims and apply the lids and rings to finger tightness. Place jars in the canner and cover with two inches of water. Bring the water to a boil and process jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Allow to cool on a folded towel for 12 hours. Store any jars that have not properly sealed in the refrigerator. The jars that have sealed are stable for up to one year.
Apple Jam in the Crockpot
- 5 pounds apples (peeled, cored, coarsely chopped)
- ¼ cup water
- 6 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 ½ cups light brown sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
Put apples, water, lemon juice and brown sugar in a large crock pot. Stir to blend well. Prop lid open with a wooden spoon handle. Cook on low heat for 8 hours.
Stir in salt and cinnamon. Cook on low an additional hour.
During the last hour of cooking, sterilize your jars, lids and rims. Ladle jam into prepared jars. Wipe rims and apply lids and rings. Process for 10 minutes in a hot water bath.
Let cool on a folded towel for 12-24 hours. Gently push the center of lid to ensure it has sealed properly. If sealed, it is shelf-safe for up to one year. If it has not sealed, store in the refrigerator.
Caramel Apple Jam
- 6 cups apple, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups packed brown sugar
- ½ tsp. cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp. butter
Put all ingredients in the crockpot and stir to mix well. Cover crock pot loosely in order to allow the steam to escape and the jam to cook down. Cook on medium heat for eight to ten hours, until mixture has cooked down and has the consistency you want.
If you want a completely smooth jam, use a hand blender. This makes it too much like apple butter for me. I like to leave apple pieces in this jam. It not only provides a great texture, but it looks beautiful in the jars for gift giving.
Sterilize six one-pint jars, lids, and rims. Ladle the hot apple jam into the sterilized jars. Wipe the rims and apply the lids and rings. Place in the canner and cover with an inch of water. Bring the water to a boil and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Let cool on a folded towel for 12-24 hours. Properly sealed jars will store for up to one year. Jars that have not properly sealed should be stored in the refrigerator and eaten first.
Crockpot Apple Butter
- 8 quarts applesauce
- 2 Tbsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ground cloves
- ½ tsp. allspice
- 4 cups sugar
Combine 5 ½ quarts of applesauce, cinnamon, ground cloves, allspice, and two cups of sugar in your crock pot. Stir to mix well. Lay two knives across the top of the crock pot and set lid on top of the knives. Cook on high for one hour. Turn the heat to medium and cook for eight to ten hours, depending on how hot your crock pot cooks, until the applesauce mixture has reduced by half. At this point, add the remaining applesauce (2 ½ quarts) and two cups sugar. Stir to mix well and cook on high for three hours. If you want your apple butter to be thicker, cook longer, uncovered, until it reaches the desired consistency.
Meanwhile, sterilize six one-pint jars, lids, and rings.
You can leave the apple butter the way it is or blend it with a hand blender or potato masher for a smoother texture. Once you are satisfied with the texture and consistency of the apple butter, ladle it into your sterilized jars. Clean the rims and apply lids and rings to finger tightness. Put in canner and cover with at least one inch of water and bring the water to a boil. Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
Let cool on a folded towel for 12-24 hours. Test the jars to ensure they are sealed. This apple butter will keep for up to a year.
That’s it! It couldn’t be simpler to put up fruit to enjoy later without heating up your home. Have fun with these slow-cooker jam and butter recipes.
Once you get the basic idea, adjust the ingredients to suit your taste. Enjoy!