Yesterday was the first of my two-day G20 holiday, and all week the weather report for Thursday has been up and down. One minute it was calling for rain, the next for sun. My plans vacillated between gardening (of which there is always work to be done) and making jam. I wasn’t going to bother making jam this year as I still have quite a bit from last year, but then all those shiny red strawberries at the farmers’ markets got me all inspired. In the end it was a wet morning and a very humid, sunny afternoon, so I managed to squeeze in a bit of both: canning and gardening.

I noted that my nearby grocery store, a Fortino’s, had local strawberries on sale for $2.49 a quart, a steal if I ever saw one. So rather than go to the North York Farmers’ Market, which was on yesterday, and since I needed some basics like milk and eggs anyway, I decided to go there. In the end I kind of wished I’d gone up to the market, because the berries I got were more than a little over ripe and squishy, but in the end that’s just fine for making jam so it wasn’t the end of the world. I am however going to write to complain (again) to the managers of both that store and to Foodland Ontario, because for the umpteenth time they were displaying American produce on the Foodland Ontario table. The local strawberries were hidden among American ones on a table on the other side of the produce section. This kind of sneaky displaying of more expensive, non-local produce in prominent areas marked as local really irks me, and I bet it would piss off the local growers association as well. And it happens all the time.

Instead of the basic strawberry jam I wanted to try something different, so I made a strawberry vanilla jam, and a strawberry, balsamic and black pepper preserve, which should be delish with cheese and crackers. And the both sound just so exotic, don’t they?

Versions of both of these recipes can be found on Canadian Living’s website (Strawberry Vanilla Jam; Strawberry Jam with Balsamic Vinegar & Black Pepper), however, I based my own on basic jam and preserves recipes that make smaller batches. The Canadian Living recipes don’t mention a yield but they use 12 cups of strawberries which is a lot. My versions are:

Strawberry Vanilla Jam

• 4 cups hulled and mashed strawberries
• 1 package of fruit pectin
• 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out, pod included for cooking
• 4 1/2 cups sugar

1. Thoroughly wash strawberries. Hull and crush or mash, or carefully mash with an immersion blender (this method can very easily puree your strawberries so be careful not to over do it). The method you use depends on how chunky or not you like your jam. Measure 4 cups into a deep stainless steel pot.
2. Whisk in pectin. Measure out sugar in a separate bowl.
3. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into berries. Add pod (will be removed before canning).
4. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently.
5. Stirring constantly, add sugar. Bring to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down over high heat. To reduce foaming, add 1/2 tsp butter or oil. Boil hard for 1 minute.
6. Remove from heat. Skim off foam with metal spoon. Remove vanilla pod.
7. With canning funnel, ladle jam into hot, sterilized 250 ml canning jars. Remove any air bubbles, wipe jar edges and place hot snap lids on jar. Add screw bands, tightening only until resistance is met.
8. Process in a hot water canning bath for 10 minutes. Remove from canner and allow jam to cool at room temperature until jam is set (may take 24 hours). Snap lids should pop down to indicate they are sealed. Any that don’t should be stored in the refrigerator and used quickly, or frozen. Sealed jars can be stored in a cool, dark place.

Yield: 6 to 7 250 ml jars.

Strawberry Preserves with Balsamic Vinegar & Black Pepper

• 4 cups hulled and mashed strawberries
• 1 package of fruit pectin
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (adjust to taste)
• 1 1/2 tsp of freshly ground black pepper (adjust to taste)

1. Thoroughly wash strawberries. Hull and crush or mash, or carefully mash with an immersion blender. Measure 4 cups into a deep stainless steel pot.
2. Whisk in pectin. Measure out sugar in a separate bowl.
3. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently.
4. Stirring constantly, add sugar. Bring to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down over high heat. To reduce foaming, add 1/2 tsp butter or oil. Boil hard for 1 minute.
5. Remove from heat. Skim off foam with metal spoon. Add balsamic vinegar and black pepper (adjust to taste — you may want more black pepper for a spicier preserve with more vinegar kick).
6. With canning funnel, ladle preserves into hot, sterilized 250 ml canning jars. Remove any air bubbles, wipe jar edges and place hot snap lids on jar. Add screw bands, tightening only until resistance is met.
7. Process in a hot water canning bath for 10 minutes. Remove from canner and allow jam to cool at room temperature until jam is set (may take 24 hours). Snap lids should pop down to indicate they are sealed. Any that don’t should be stored in the refrigerator and used quickly, or frozen. Sealed jars can be stored in a cool, dark place.

Yield: 6 to 7 250 ml jars.