Two delicious dishes…and one fail.
I love strawberry picking. For some reason, once I start, I can’t stop. Perhaps that’s why I came home from Hank’s Farmstand in Southampton on Saturday with six quarts of the juicy red berries!
The question then became: What do I do with all of them? I felt like Bubba Gump. Strawberry shortcake, strawberry pie, strawberry smoothies — the opportunities were endless. I ended up making strawberry jam with this easy-peasy recipe, and it’s delicious! I bought some wonderful honey oat bread at a nearby bakery, toasted up some slices, and served it at the Father’s Day brunch I whipped up for Molner and his kids.
3-Ingredient Strawberry Jam Recipe
I used this recipe from Simply Home Cooked, and it couldn’t be simpler! Just chop, combine, and boil:
Ingredients:
- 2 lb. fresh strawberries
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Directions:
First, you’ll cut the berries into quarters and place them in a saucepan. Then, you’ll add in the sugar and lemon juice. Cook on medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a boil, then reduce it to low heat and let it simmer. After about 30 minutes have passed, crank the heat back up to high, bring the jam to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer for 10 minutes. And voilà!
I also made a strawberry spinach salad using fresh spinach from my garden (I know…don’t hate me) with toasted chopped pecans, feta cheese, and sliced strawberries. I made a dressing with fig balsamic vinegar I had bought at a farmer’s market and olive oil. It was a home run!
Meanwhile, I froze some strawberries for future use by placing them on a tray to freeze and then storing them in a plastic bag.
The only thing that didn’t work was the dried strawberries. I was told to put them in the oven at 215 degrees for three hours. But I was somehow left with mushy, warm strawberries. Recipe fail!
