At this point, you may have thought I was never coming back, but Voila! here I am. For those of you who are curious: grad school/museum education is amazing. As you might imagine, school keeps me busy and away from the blog but I’m back and hoping to better incorporate the blog into next semester’s busy schedule.

So for my first post after a month, I bring you: strawberry jam. We’re just getting to the end of strawberry season so as you make your final rounds to the market/local farmer’s market/pick your own farm keep this recipe in mind because nothing beats homemade jam. It has more sugar than you might think, but it’s all for a good cause. Imagine: fresh jam on pancakes; in muffins; on toast…the list goes on.

Oh, and I’m going to California for a week so use this recipe until I get back!

Ingredients
Source: Ina Garten
2 cups sugar
1 large lemon, zested and juiced
1 1/2 pints (3 generous cups) fresh strawberries, hulled and halved

Directions
1. Combine the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over very low heat for 10 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved. 2. Add the strawberries and continue to cook over very low heat for 20 minutes, until the strawberries release some of their juices and the mixture boils slowly.
3. Cook until a small amount of the juice gels on a very cold plate. (I keep one in the freezer.)
4. Pour carefully into canning jars and either seal or keep refrigerated. Use within a week or so.

Voila!