Writer's Note: Berlin is refusing to acknowledge spring. We have a few warm days and then, pow, like a slap upside the head, the cold and rain come pouring out of the sky like the wrath of a thousand Prussian soldiers. I am in serious denial about the weather so spring jam seemed like a properly defiant act. Ingredients:
1 lb. strawberries
pint of raspberries
juice from 2 lemons
1/4 - 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 1/2 cups sugar
Directions:
Clean strawberries and raspberries and cut off strawberry stems. If the strawberries are really big, cut them into two or three. Macerate the strawberries and raspberries in the lemon juice and sugar overnight in the fridge.
Heat the stove to medium and cook the berries for about 20-30 minutes in a teflon or copper saucepan. Jam can really ruin your pots so teflon is a must unless you have a copper saucepan. After about 15 minutes pour 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar into the jam. Taste after 5 minutes and continue adding until you have a balance of sweet and acidic that is to your liking. Jam is ready when you spread a small amount on a plate and it has a thickened jammy consistency.
You can store the jam in pre-sterilized jars. Sterilize the jars by boiling them for 5 minutes.
