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!