Strawberry, Thyme & Balsamic Jam

Jam is a great way to make use of excess fruits and herbs! There are so many great combinations that you just can't find in your typical store and, considering how easy jam is to make, you may find yourself leaving it off your grocery list. This is a refrigerator jam, which means you don't need any fancy canning materials; you can just pop it in the fridge and be sure to use it within a week or two. Additionally, because I'm lazy, there is no pectin involved, and everything in this recipe can be easily found at your local green market or grocery store.

Jam is a really fun item to play around with - once you figure out the basic rules, you can really go in on making any kind of crazy combination you can think of! I highly recommend paring this semi-sweet, semi-tangy option with a nice slice or two of homemade sourdough. The zing in each of these recipes compliment each other very well.

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Ingredients

• 16 ounces strawberries, rough chopped

• 6-8 sprigs of thyme

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about half a large lemon's worth)

• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Start by placing a metal spoon in the freezer (it's weird, but trust me on this one)

2. Place the chopped strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and thyme in a medium-sized pot over medium-low heat. Stir frequently while the berries begin to release their juices, 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Add in the balsamic vinegar and mix well. As the berries continue to soften, start mushing them up with whatever spoon you're using to mix. If you like things a bit chunkier, there's nothing wrong with leaving bigger bits. If you like your jam smooth, squish those berries up good!

4. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, stirring frequently while it thickens. This usually takes about 20 minutes, but depending on the juiciness of the fruit it may take more or less time. I like to scrape the goop from the sides of the pot into the greater mixture - it adds a nice extra flavor and helps the jam thicken a little better. Make sure to keep an eye on the jam as it continues to boil to keep it from burning.

5. To check and see if your jam is done, pull that spoon out of the freezer and dribble a little bit of the jam onto it. Give it a few seconds to cool slightly, then run your finger through it. If the jam dribbles back together, it's not ready - if you can still see a little track then you're good to go (see below)!

6. Turn off the heat and give your jam some time to cool down. Fish out the thyme sprigs (or don't, personally, I like leaving them in - the boiling process softens them up, and it's kinda a nice little surprise when you bite into it). Once cool, load it into a jar for storage. This recipe gave me about 8 ounces of jam, so make sure that your jar can accommodate at least that much.

Spoon tracks!

It's easy enough scale this recipe up and down based on your needs. I highly recommend serving this on some lightly toasted bread with a side of almond yogurt with berries and granola. It's a great, light breakfast that keeps you satiated for hours.

You can also freeze this stuff for up to three months. Just be sure that you leave some room at the top of the jar for the jam to expand.