Some people learn to “put up” jams and veggies at their grandmother’s knee, but my gateway to canning was much more modern. I didn’t really get hooked until I began reading a blog called “Food In Jars.”

Marisa McClellan, the author, writes recipes for small batches and contemporary kitchens. Her blog and two books (“Food in Jars” and “Preserving By the Pint”) have held my hand through preserving small batches of everything from boozy cherries to kimchi to pickled beets.

And it was on her blog that I discovered the world’s most perfect jam: blueberry ginger.

Piquant blueberries. Two layers of zingy ginger. They’re flavors I never would have considered combining on my own, but they each make the other better. The ginger cuts the sweetness of the blueberries, making them seem more exotic and alluring than they are. The blueberries, in turn, tone down the ginger’s sharpness, turning its burn into a mellow warmth.

I make several batches of McClellan’s blueberry ginger jam each summer, but this year I decided to take it a step further. Recently, I needed a dessert and noticed blueberries were on sale. “I wonder…” I thought to myself, as I grabbed some blueberries and a knob of ginger, and headed home to experiment.

The result is the crumble below. As McClellan advises in the original jam recipe (which can be found at foodinjars.com), I use both fresh and candied ginger, but I’ve used much more than she uses in the jam. With the crumble topping, you really need a good amount to allow the ginger to burst through.

I also added cashews to my basic crumble topping. I like the way the extra butteriness of the cashews plays with the fresh, clean taste of the blueberries and ginger, but feel free to substitute whatever nuts you have on hand.

Blueberry Ginger Crumble

Ingredients

For the blueberry filling:

4 cups blueberries

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons of grated ginger

2 tablespoons of candied ginger, diced into small chunks

1/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons flour

For the crumble topping:

1 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick of cold butter, cut into small cubes

1/2 cup cashews

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl, toss the blueberries, lemon juice and zest, grated ginger and candied ginger. Add 1/4 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons of flour, and toss again. Pour the blueberries into a 9-by-13-inch pan and spread them out evenly.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the rest of the flour, sugar, brown sugar and a pinch of salt. Pulse a few times to combine, then add the butter and pulse several more times until the butter breaks down to pea-sized lumps.

Pour the flour mixture into a large bowl, quickly wipe out the food processor, then pour in the cashews and pulse a few times to chop them. Gently combine the cashews and oats with the flour mixture, then pour them evenly on top of the blueberries in the pan.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the top of the crumble is brown and the blueberries are bubbling up at the edges. Allow the crumble to cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting. Then serve it up with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

— Meryl Carver-Allmond lives in Lawrence and writes about chickens, babies, knitting, gardening, food, photography, and whatever else tickles her fancy on any given day at mybitofearth.net.