Blueberry And Apple Jam

Directions

1. 1
   ["Peel, core, and dice the apples, reserving the trimmings (the peels, cores, and seeds). Put as many of the apple trimmings in a jelly bag or 4 layers of cheesecloth as will fit, and tie the bag closed.", "Set the diced apples aside. Don't worry about it if they start to brown a bit; they are going to be turned purple by the blueberries anyway.", "Place two or three small saucers in the freezer. You will use these later to check the set of the jam.", "Put the blueberries and sugar in a wide, 6 to 8 quart preserving pan.", "I use a potato masher to mash up some of the blueberries, about a third of them, but you don't have to do this. I just feel that it gets the juices flowing quicker.", "If you do not have a preserving pan, use the widest pan you have. The wider the pan, the more quickly moisture will evaporate from the mixture, and this is what you want when you are making jelly, jam, or marmalade.", "Bring the berries and sugar to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, then continue to cook until the juices are just deep enough to cover the blueberries, about 5 minutes. Pour the berries into a colander set over a large bowl and stir the berries gently to drain off the juice. Return the juice to the pan, along with the diced apples and the bag with the trimmings, and bring to a boil over high heat.", "Boil, stirring occasionally, until the syrup is reduced and thick. This usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and remove the bag containing the apple trimmings from the syrup and place it between two plates. Hold these plates over the preserving pan, and squeeze the plates together to squeeze out any juice which is in the bag. You don't have to try to get every last bit of juice out, just as much as you can get reasonably, and then set the bag aside.", "Return the blueberries and any accumulated juice, along with the lemon juice and zest, to the pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, and then check the set.", "Use the cold plate test to check set: take the pan of jam off the heat (if you don't remove the jam from the heat while you check the set, it could over-cook and become rubbery or hard, if the jam is indeed already set) place a drop of the jam mixture on one of the saucers you've kept in the freezer, & place the plate back in the freezer for 1 minute. After 1 minute, take the saucer out of the freezer and nudge the drop of jam with your finger. If it \"wrinkles\"" when you nudge it with your finger it is done. If the jam is not set