The Big Giant Food Basket: Strawberry Balsamic & Cracked Black Pepper Jam

We are now getting into strawberry season and the price of these yummy little berries has really begun to drop. I snagged some at my local grocery store and decided to make this jam which packs a little bit of heat. I was inspired by the recipe I came across over at the beautiful blog Honey&Jam.

First rinse and hull your berries and then chop them into smaller pieces.

Then in a smaller pot add...

5 cups of chopped strawberries

3 1/2 cups of sugar

1 - 2 (depending on how much heat you prefer) teaspoons of cracked black pepper

6 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon butter

I also use one packet of unsweetened fruit pectin

Heat ingredients in the pot until they begin to meld together. Simmer on the stove for about 15 to 20 minutes, until mixture becomes translucent and thickens.

In prepared jars, ladle hot jam into jars and then making sure the rims are clean, place the lid on top and screw on the ring.

Set jars aside and wait until you hear the "ping", this means your jars are sealed.

Once cooled you can enjoy the jam. Actually right after I shot these pictures I tried the jam with cream cheese...sooooo yummy! You can also spread the jam over the top of a block of cream cheese and use it as a spread with crackers.