Strawberry & Basil Jam
Preserve | YIELD 9 half-pints | TIME 35 Minutes
Strawberry season is at its peak and I decided to put myself up to trying something new, combining the old world's recipe with something new, savory and unexpected. As you might have suspected I love fresh herbs and I found myself deliberating between rosemary or basil. I picked up a bunch of each but decided to explore Strawberries and Basil combo first. I was astonished how nicely the fruit and herb complement each other, adding a bit off unexpected delight to otherwise ordinary strawberry jam.
INGREDIENTS
5 cups (around 3 pounds) fresh, ripe and crushed strawberries ( from farmers market if possible)
1 teaspoon butter
1 package (1-3/4 oz or 1.5-2 tbs) powdered fruit pectin
2-3 cups sugar
1/2 cup minced fresh basil
few grinds of pink peppercorn
few grinds of black pepper (optional
squeeze of lemon juice
few shaves of lemon zest (optional)
Step 1
Wash, hull and chop strawberries. In batches move them into a large bowl and crush them with a potato masher.
Finally chop basil and set aside.
Prepare canner and wash/sterilize the jars. (Keep jars in hot, not boiling, water until ready to use.)
Step 2
In a Dutch oven, combine strawberries, lemon juice/zest, pink peppercorns and butter. Stir in pectin. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly for 5-8min. Do not look away it will burn ;)
Step 3
Stir in sugar; return to a full rolling boil. Boil and stir 1-2 minutes. Immediately stir in basil.
Step 4
Remove from heat; skim off foam. Ladle hot mixture into nine hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/4-in. headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot mixture. Wipe rims. Warm lids in hot (not boiling) water to sterilize and soften seal. Center lids on jars; screw on bands until fingertip tight.
Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes, then remove from water and let cool completely, 12 hours without moving.
