Blueberry picking and jam-making day is always one of the most exciting events of the year at My Lovi. We take immense pride in crafting our delicious, small-batch homemade jams using fresh, hand-picked blueberries. But the process of creating these sweet treats doesn’t happen overnight—it requires a full season of dedication, hard work, and a true love for what we do.
Preparing the Bushes
The journey of a My Lovi blueberry jam jar begins long before the summer harvest. We start preparing our blueberry bushes for the upcoming season as early as March. This early-spring prep involves inspecting the branches for winter damage and giving the soil a rich, nourishing boost of compost and fertilizer.
As the bushes begin to bloom, we carefully set up protective netting to keep pesky woodland critters away. First, we install perimeter netting to deter ground animals from picking at the unripe green berries. Later, as the fruit fills out, we add overhead netting to protect the precious crop from hungry birds looking for a snack.
The Summer Harvest & Selection
When the blueberries are finally plump, juicy, and perfectly ripe, we dress for a busy day in the fields and head out to the highbush rows. Every single berry is hand-picked at its absolute peak.
Before they can be transformed into jam, our blueberries undergo a meticulous cleaning and sorting process. We carefully check through the harvest, removing any small twigs, leaves, or stems. This step ensures that only the cleanest, highest-quality fruit makes it into the cooking pot.
Small-Batch Jam Making
With the fruit prepped, the real kitchen magic begins. We use a precise recipe featuring pectin to achieve that perfect, spreadable, gel-like consistency. Pectin is a natural fruit fiber that is essential for a reliable set; using it allows us to avoid over-boiling the fruit, preserving the vibrant, fresh-picked flavor and bright color of the berries.
Instead of measuring by volume (cups), we carefully weigh our blueberries, sugar, fresh lemon juice, and pectin to ensure absolute consistency across every single batch. While making jam might seem simple from the outside, it requires precise timing and coordination. Over the years, we have perfected our workflow, allowing us to seamlessly run multiple small batches simultaneously and have them safely canned within a few short hours.
The Finishing Touches
The hard work doesn’t stop once the jars are sealed. After canning, each jar is inspected, cleaned, and hand-labeled with our signature My Lovi design before heading to our storage shelves, ready to be safely shipped directly to your door.
While our blueberry jam is an absolute customer favorite, we also love experimenting with a variety of other seasonal flavors on our website—including strawberry jam, rich apple butter, and classic orange marmalade.
Every jar of My Lovi jam holds a little bit of our dedication, hard work, and passion for wholesome, handcrafted food, and you can taste that care in every single bite. The next time you spread a spoonful onto a warm muffin or toast, remember the journey it took from our field to your jar!
Watch the Full Process: Want a front-row seat to our jam-making day? Head over to our YouTube channel to watch the complete step-by-step video! Watch Our Blueberry Jam-Making Video on YouTube Here
