Yesterday I tried my hand at 2 yummy recipes I have never tried before.  Blueberry freezer jam and oven dried beef jerky. The jerky was so scrumptious, we devoured it, it’s gone!!!  The jam is still setting, but I can tell you the mixture was so good, my husband licked the bowl, with the help of myself and our son of course:) So I thought I’d share the recipes with you.

Blueberry Freezer Jam:

You will need:

3 Cups crushed blueberries (about 3 pints)

5 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 T lemon juice

1 package powdered pectin

3/4 Cups water

Crush berries in a large bowl, add lemon juice and sugar, stir to mix well and let stand for 10 minutes. In a saucepan, mix pectin and water and bring to a boil.  Boil, stirring constantly for 1 minute.  Mix pectin mixture into fruit mixture, stir for 3 minutes.  Pour fruit mixture into small canning jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace.  Cover immediately and let stand at room temperature for 24 hours.  Store in freezer.  Makes about 6 cups.

Blueberry Freezer Jam

Oven Dried Beef Jerky

You will need:

about 1 pound of beef, I used a small Roast but London Broil works great too.

1/2 Cup Worcestershire sauce (I used Lea & Perrins Thick)

1/4 Cup liquid smoke

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. onion powder

Mix above ingredients together. Slice beef against the grain thinly (this is easier done if beef is frozen) place in a ziplock bag with mixture, shake to evenly coat beef slices.  Squeeze out all the air, reseal and let sit overnight.

Once your beef has marinated over night, blot off marinade from each slice with paper towel and lay on a wire rack inside pan (I use a lasagna pan) but a cookie sheet would work too.  I also line the bottom of the pan with tin foil for easier clean-up.  Make sure beef slices are laying flat on wire rack and not overlapping each other.  Bake in oven at 200 degrees until beef is leathery, about 2-3 hours.  Let cool on rack completely before serving.  Store in air tight container or ziplock bags.

oven dried beef jerky