Strawberry Black Pepper Jam

Last night I made strawberry jam using the strawberries we picked at Verrill farm. I loosely followed a recipe from Blue Ribbon Preserves by Linda Amendt. Essentially, I halved the recipe in the book and then decrease the sugar a tiny bit (good idea), added freshly crushed black pepper, a tiny bit of salt and some home-made apple pectin. It turned out lovely. I plan on using the jam in something during 4th of July weekend; though I have found a nice snack in the meantime. Spread a little bit of goat cheese on a black pepper water cracker, then top with the strawberry jam. It's lovely.




Here's my recipe

Strawberry Black Pepper Jam
2 cups hulled strawberries kept whole if small, halve or quarter if large
1 tbsp fresh strained lemon juice
3 cups sugar
1 tbsp of home-made apple pectin

Combine strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a large pan. Turn the heat on low and stir just about constantly till the sugar is melted.



It seems like way too much sugar, but just be patient and it will melt. Turn up the heat and bring it to a boil, skimming all the foam that rises to the top. Once the mixture reaches 221 F, add your home-made pectin and stir it in well. Bring it back to a boil once again, for me it took about 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and process if you're going to can it.