If you know my cooking, then you know I am prone to put herbs into just about anything. To me, herbs make the dish, they keep it fresh and alive. Hard herbs such as rosemary, thyme, oregano, and bay are great to add as an additional layer of flavor. So for this recipe I have added fresh chopped thyme to my strawberry jam recipe. It gives the jam a more savory note that makes it really stand out from the baseline strawberry jams. This recipe is made to get you into jams and jelly but is not shelf stable unless you go through the canning process which you can find here. So keep it in the fridge covered and it should last up to a year. If mold starts to form take that top layer off and transfer to a new smaller container that has less space for air.

Strawberry Jam (Yields about 4 cups)

· 4 cups quartered strawberries(washed, de-stemmed)

· 3 cups sugar

· 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

· 1 tablespoon fruit pectin

· 1 tablespoon chopped thyme (fresh)

Directions

Take the strawberries and toss with sugar, pectin and red wine vinegar in a large mixing bowl. Use your hands or a large fork to mash the fruit to release some of the juices.

Place in a large pot (You don’t want it to boil over!) and turn to medium high heat and stir every couple minutes to ensure the sugar dissolves. Once the sugar has melted continue to cook for about 30 minutes or until the temperature reaches 210 degrees. Add the chopped thyme and cool down to room temperature off the heat and place into your choice of container to store in the fridge.

Enjoy on bagels, with cheese or with peanut butter on bread!