Strawberry season this year has been really, really short. It feels like it was just a few weeks, between storms and the heat wave shortening the growing season, so we had to get our berries and go through them pretty quick. As usual, I’ve been freezing a bunch to use throughout the year, but this year I also wanted to try my hand at making some jam.
Not just any jam, though. We go through strawberry jam constantly just with store-bought stuff, so I wanted to try something a little more complex. I also happen to love strawberry-basil as a flavor combination, so I thought, why not? I even have a basil plant this year.
Well, my basil plant is being torn to shreds by bugs, so I had to turn to store-bought basil, but it worked out fine.
What does basil add to strawberry jam? A couple of things. The herby taste of basil is one, but it also adds a rich depth of flavor that pairs excellently with the sweetness of the berries. It’s also really easy to make and you don’t need any pectin, just time.
My recipe below makes two standard-sized 1 pint mason jars worth of jam, though you can divide it up into smaller jars or use one larger jar if you want. I happen to have these around, so they’re what I used.
Strawberry Basil Jam
Equipment
- Dutch Oven
- Soup Pot
- Mason Jars 2 pints or 1 quart's worth.
- Rubber Spatula
Ingredients
- 1 Quart Fresh Strawberries Chopped or mashed to maximize the berry amount.
- 2 Cups White Sugar
- 1 Lemon Zest and juice.
- 2 Tbsp Fresh Basil I used the semi freeze-dried stuff and it works great.
Instructions
- Get your canning stuff ready. You want to boil the jars and keep them hot for when you pour the jam in later. The lids shouldn't be boiled, but heated; read the instructions for your jars if necessary. The boiling is important to sterilize it all, and the heat later helps create the vacuum seal.
- In your dutch oven, put the berries, lemon, and sugar, and bring it all to a boil, stirring frequently so it doesn't burn on the bottom.
- Keep the jam heating and reducing. Your goal is to heat it to around 220℉, and keep it going until it reaches a consistency you like.
- To test jam consistency, stick a plate in the freezer. Drop a spoonful of jam on the plate and keep it in the freezer for 2-3 minutes, to chill it down to what it would be while refrigerated; that's the consistency the jam will have.
- When the jam is more or less ready, add the basil and mix it in, and cook for about another 5 minutes or so. You can taste it to see if you want more basil or not.
- When done, spoon or ladle the jam into the hot jars, clean the threads and add the lids, and boil them for another 10 minutes for final sterilization. Remove them from the water and let them sit for a day to ensure they seal.