Dhara and I recently went strawberry picking — most of these divine berries went into our mouths or a fruit juice or a strawberry jam.  The last time I made strawberry jam was in college, so I thought it was about time for another batch! When searching for recipes, I knew I didn’t want to use loads of sugar or even pectin like most recipes call for.  I wanted something simple, with whole real ingredients, but at the same time with the least amount of ingredients, so that the full taste of the berries would be experienced.  I ended up choosing a recipe for Spicy Strawberry Jam from the Healthy Green Kitchen blog.

I would prefer to call it a strawberry preserve, because that’s just what comes to mind when I taste this jam.  I love how the berries are kept whole, and not halved or quartered. Makes for a lovely presentation.  After a while of simmering, the berries become a deep, dark, rich color and are speckled with chili seeds. It’s a beautiful jam, really it is.  And it tastes even better.  Sweet, with just the right amount of heat, or in my case heat — I ended up adding more chiles than what the recipe asked for.  Sooo very yummy on homemade bread.  This one’s a keeper.

fresh strawberries, right off the vine

organic sugar cane

dried new mexico hot chilies
lemon

mix

simmer

topped with a sprig of mint, here’s a taste test for the hubs

even baby liked it!