Once you’ve picked hoards of the beautiful blue, sweet balls of wonder, what do you do with them? Besides cooking and eating, you can also freeze blueberries so that they can be enjoyed all year.

Frozen berries can be used the same as fresh berries once thawed. And it’s a super treat to have fantastic quality blueberries in the dead of winter.

1) Wash the blueberries and let them drain well. Get them as dry as you can.
2) Spread the blueberries in a single layer in a freezer safe container. Leave them their until they are completely frozen.
3) Transfer blueberries to a freezer bag, such as a Zip-loc or a FoodSaver. Remove air and place back in the freezer until you are ready to use them.

I started this post several weeks ago before going on vacation. Unfortunately, time constraints forced me to set it aside. And now, after careful thought, I have decided not to give you a recipe to go along with it. At least not yet.

But making jam? Not that hard. Canning? Not that hard. And the taste . . . oh the taste. It’s sweet and deep and rich in a way that even the fanciest store-bought jams can’t match. I can’t believe I never did this before. I’ve been missing out on a whole fireworks-laden sensation of eating.

See, I was a jam-making and canning virgin before a few weeks ago. And I was scared of these new things. So I read and read and read about it before actually doing anything. And I was worried that I wouldn’t be successful. The worry was for naught. Not only was the jam-making and canning easy, but it was fun. And it’s definitely something that will be repeated again and again and again. I can’t wait for blueberry and raspberry seasons here in the Northeast. I have big canning plans.

But even though it was easy and the directions from Preserving Memories were a piece of cake, I feel like I am still perfecting the whole process. For instance, my jam takes about 10 minutes longer than the directions say it should to reach a state of jelling. It still comes out great, but I want to figure out why. Is it the pan I am using? My technique? Something I am misreading? Whatever the case, I want to be sure before I pass along the word of how to do it.

Coincidentally, I have since also made and canned black raspberry jam which is out of this world. I spent much of my vacation pilfering berries from my neighbor’s bushes. And I have since discovered that there are more convenient sources for the wild berries. Mmmm.

But if you want to start canning too, I suggest picking up a large, sturdy pot, some jelly jars, a good pair of nonslip tongs and a copy of Preserving Memories. It’s definitely worth the effort.