Berry Delicious Jam;)

A sign of summer in NYC are the street vendors selling the same fruit as supermarkets for a fraction of the price. I'm overjoyed seeing that a pint of blueberries costs close to $5 at whole foods! My hands stock up in sheer excitement, only to realise half way home, that I have enough berries to feed a small village..

Problem averted- I make jam. My homemade jam recipe is simple and tailored to your tastes. I love the bright taste of softly cooked strawberries generously spread on buttered toast. It makes me long for breakfast all day long.

  I love making homemade preserves because I have complete control over the sugar content. This is a very loose recipe as you will be in charge of how much or little sugar you need. Also, the amount of sugar you use depends on the tartness of your fruits and since that's unpredictable this recipe is subject to revision each time. Basically, it's a simple guideline on how to make homemade preserves for the enjoyment of you and yours! I recommend canning them in sterilized jam jars, this way they can last weeks if you use a clean knife each time:)

Ingredients:
2 pint strawberries, hulled and halved (leave the smaller ones whole)
1 pint blueberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar

Method:
Put both berries and lemon juice in a nonstick (if possible) saucepan . Bring to a simmer, stirring occassionally. When it's reduced by half, add half the sugar. Let it dissolve and cook down for 2 minutes more. Taste it. Is it too tart? If so add the rest of the sugar and repeat. Taste it again. Is it just right? Too tart? Too sweet? If it's too sweet, pray you have some extra berries you can throw in, but I doubt this will be the case since it's only 1/4 cup of sugar. You'll probably end up adding more sugar! You will know the jam is ready when a lot of the liquid has reduced. A good trick is spooning some jam on a cold plate and running your finger down the middle, if it doesn't come spilling back it's ready to eat!