Whoa, you guys… whoa. I thought we were friends. Why didn’t anyone tell me we were all wearing slimming shapewear now? You know… those Spanx-y, waist cinch-y, butt lift-y, tummy slimming undergarments. Why didn’t you tell me!? This is on par with not telling me that I have lipstick on my chin, spinach in my teeth, and naturally that… my fly is down.
I’ve been marveling at your tiny waists and tucked in bellies. Seriously. You’re looking completely major. I actually just wondered how you hold your breath for so long. I know how to suck and tuck it in… but come on… I have my moments when I actually have to breathe.
Can we just… can we stay on the same page? If you’re in awesome Spanx-y, cinch-y land… can you just let me know? Don’t leave a good girl behind.
Since everyone is wearing shapewear and not telling be about it, I made a simple and earnest quick jam. Ok… so the two things have nothing at all to do with one another. I was just trying to lay a guilt trip on you.
This is a quick jam because it hasn’t gone through the traditional canning process. The process that involves boiling fruit and glass? Yea… I didn’t do that.
There is a wonderfully lovely blog that specializes in boiling fruit and glass called Food in Jars.
Maybe I’ll get into canning one day. Intellectually I understand the benefits. Boiling glass makes me nervous… there, I said it.
Fresh raspberries and strawberries to start.
If you feel like these are too pretty to boil, just nip a few from the colander to snack on. I promise that these are jam worthy.
Give the strawberries a good hull.
Off with their heads.
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Quick jam guest stars include fresh lemon juice (the acid is key to offset the sweet), granulated sugar, and vanilla bean.
If you don’t have a vanilla bean on hand, this recipe is still dang fine without one. You can add just a dash of pure vanilla extract after the mixture is boiled and reduced.
Early jam boiling.
The raspberries will break down far faster than the strawberries. Yea… this is a seedy situation. It’s character building.
I love to throw the vanilla bean pod into the boiling fruit. Extra vanilla flavor just adds another layer of flavor. Supreme!
This wooden spoon gets a good amount of action.
Let me give you the skinny on this quick jam. It’s somewhere in between a jam and a fruit sauce. It’s certainly not the same consistency of a store-bought jam. Let’s be real… it’s sexier, for sure. I love how satisfyingly fast this recipe is. Add 15 minutes to the amount of time it takes you to wash and slice berries… and you’re in business. Because this jam is not thoroughly preserved, it has a much shorter shelf life than traditionally canned jam. This quick jam lasts about 10 days. That only means that this jam needs to go on absolutely everything: morning yogurt and granola, open-face peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and ice cream sundaes. It’s also rather delicious by the spoonful.
I hope you love it because I love you. Let’s not make this weird…
Strawberry Raspberry Vanilla Quick Jam
makes about 1 1/2 cups jam
adapted from Martha Stewart
1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced thickly
1/2 pound fresh raspberries (just over 1 cup of berries)
vanilla bean scraped of its seeds, pod reserved
1/2 cup granulated sugar
juice of 1 lemon
Place strawberries, raspberries, vanilla bean scrapings, and vanilla bean pod in a medium saucepan. Add sugar and lemon juice. Place over medium heat and stir occasionally. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until fruit has broken down and liquid has thickened. This jam won’t thicken like a store-bought jarred jam. It will be a loose jam that will thicken slightly as it cools in the fridge. The consistency of this jam is somewhere in between a thick jam and a fruit syrup.
Once jam has thickened, remove from heat and place in one large or two small jars. Cover and place in the refrigerator to cool completely. Jam will last up to 10 days covered and sealed in the refrigerator.
Mel
I’m making this right now. And my house smells amazing!