Last fall Mom and I got some beautiful Michigan blueberries, and while I ate quite a few over the winter, I still had some bags left in the freezer that I needed to do something with, and while looking through Ball’s Complete Book of Home Preserving, I saw a recipe for Blueberry Sauce that sounded easy to do. It has both lemon juice and lemon zest, and lemon and blueberries together is a great flavor combination, in my opinion. It’s not a strong lemony flavor, just a touch, and it is going to be great as a sauce over pancakes and waffles and cheesecake (of course!).

You can use either fresh or frozen blueberries in this sauce. If you use frozen, make sure they are thawed and unsweetened. The sauce may seem a bit runny after you cook and process it, but it will set up to a thicker consistency as it sits on the shelf.

Blueberry Sauce

7 cups blueberries

2-3/4 cups unsweetened apple juice

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

1-1/4 cups sugar

2/3 cup corn syrup

1/4 cup lemon juice

Prepare canner, jars, and lids.

In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine blueberries, apple juice, and lemon zest. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, crushing berries with a potato masher. While maintaining a constant but gentle boil, gradually add sugar, stirring until completely dissolved. Continue boiling gently while gradually stirring in corn syrup and lemon juice. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Boil hard for 15 minutes.

Ladle hot sauce into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot sauce. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip tight.

Place jars into canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool, and store.

Yield: About six 8-ounce jars

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