Strawberry Basil Jam

When you have access to fresh strawberries, the best way to enjoy them is to eat them as they are. But when you have way too much, the next best thing might just be to make them into jam.  

Straight up, regular, strawberry jam is great, but since strawberries and basil goes so well together, it makes perfect sense to make them into a jam!

Strawberry Basil Jam

500g     Strawberries, hulled, diced
100g     Sugar (or more if desired)
    1      Lemon, zested, juiced, save the rind
pinch of salt
handful of fresh Basil leaves, chopped

1. Place a plate in the freezer for testing later on.

2. In a saucepan, place all ingredients except the basil leaves. Cook mixture over medium-low heat, stirring frequently till most of the strawberries have broken down, approximately 10mins.

3. Reduce heat to low, place a small amount of jam on the cold plate from the freezer and let set for 1-2mins. Run a finger through the jam to see if it is viscous enough to stay on. If it is still runny, continue simmering for few more minutes and repeat test till the jam sets on the cold plate.

4. Heat off, remove the lemon rind and stir in the chopped basil. Allow to cool slightly before ladling into the jars. Carry on with the canning process. 

Thoughts: I would love to have strawberry plants in my garden, but too bad my fingers aren't green enough. Thankfully, there are several farms that allow the public to pick fresh seasonal fruits for a small fee. Usually $10-15 for as much as you can fill a tray like this, and we will leave with more than enough to make 2 batches of this jam plus fresh strawberries to eat everyday for at least a week!

The basil isn't strong enough to be overpowering, just a hint of it. However, it did impart its grassy notes, which against the sweet-scented strawberries, gave the jam a little more depth. You can add more if you prefer to have basil's smell stand out.

For the lemon, it's there to help with the lack of pectin from ripe strawberries. Unless you have a mix of both ripe and unripe strawberries, I'd suggest including it in the recipe. Granted that cooking the rind of the lemon can leave a bitter aftertaste at times, but since that's where the highest concentration of pectin is, I took a risk with it. Turned out the bitterness is barely detectable, most likely due to the short cooking time. Otherwise, we can always increase the amount of sugar to kinda mask it.

The simplest way to enjoy this strawberry basil jam is of course, to spread it on a piece of buttered toast. But my favourite way? A spoonful of it stirred into a bowl of plain yoghurt, together with some homemade Granola Clusters and fresh berries. Omg, so good!

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