Simply Sweet: Strawberry Jam

Spring is around the corner and so is a new crop of fresh fruit. This is a quick recipe for strawberry jam that I like because its not super sugary and you can still enjoy the texture of the fruit. Other berries like blueberry and raspberry also work well. The recipe can be doubled - the one below makes about a half cup/150 grams of preserves. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup/175 grams fresh cut strawberries

• 1 teaspoon sugar (white or cane works)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (use a good quality one)

• juice from half a lemon (or one tablespoon of the pre-squeezed version)

• 1/2 cup/115 ml water

Directions

In a small saucepan mix all the ingredients and bring to a soft boil and stir for 5 minutes. The fruit will start to fall apart and the liquid with thicken and become glossy. Lower the heat to medium after 5 minutes. As it simmers, stir the mixture so it does not burn. When there is next to no liquid remaining, remove from the heat and place in a bowl to cool. Done! This keeps in the fridge for about 2-3 days, if you don’t eat it all day one ;)