I don’t know since when but I started to make jams every year a while back. I found a really cool book on jams and preservation at the flea market at Downsview park when I used to live close to York village. The book was published in Australia about a decade ago with very outdated photo demonstrations, like the ones my mom has. It was kinda like a food magazine. I started my yearly fruit picking around the same time that year, and felt a sudden urge to buy the book in order to learn more about the proper way to make jams and other preserves.

I tried a lot of recipes on jam, marmalade, and other types of jelly. I experimented with rhubarb, citrus, different types of berries, and other fruits as well. Among my creations, my favourite was the strawberry jam I made in Summer 2015. I didn’t particularly pick the strawberries myself since the business started to get busy and demanding. A colleague of mine actually went and picked about 4 lbs of strawberries as per my request. They were sweet, bright red, and very juicy. One of the tips in making preserves in general and jam in particular is that the fruit must be fresh and undamaged. Any bruises will cause the product to be oxidated quickly, meaning going bad very soon after cooking. The reason that we came up with preserves was to store the excess harvests for future use, as food stock. These preserves can keep for longer and retain the qualify better than being fresh as is.

For this recipe, I will being sharing with you my recent favourite jam recipe.

Balsamic Rosemary Strawberry Jam

Servings: erhhhh I’m clueless
Cooking time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs strawberries, hulled and whole
• 1.5 lbs sugar
• Juice of 1 lemon, with seeds
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• 3 tbsp of balsamic vinegar

Process:

• Wash strawberries thoroughly but swiftly. Let them air dry
• In a large and deep pot on high heat, add strawberries and sugar. Let it come to a boil and then lower heat down to medium. Cook for 30 minutes
• Add rosemary and lemon juice in the hot jam, discarding all the seeds. Simmer for another 30 minutes
• When you drop a bit of the jam liquid on a plate of cold water, and it forms a jelly texture, or doesn’t mix with water, your jam is done.
• Add the balsamic vinegar, and turn off heat
• Move the jam to sterilized mason jars or any glass jars with tight lids. Let it cool completely before closing the lids and store at cool temperature.
• If the jar has been opened, then it must be kept in the fridge and must be consumed quickly.

BON APPETIT