If you grow your own fruit, making jam is a fab, easy & economical thing to do. Buying the fruit does make it expensive, I won’t fib. My thinking however, is that if we shop organically and only in season, then it becomes a delicious treat and occasion to make a couple of pots of jam, celebrating that time of year. The jam I speak of is strawberry, as they were just $4 a punnet for pure, juicey, soft and sweet organic ones the other day – couldn’t resist! We bought 4 punnets, ate one fresh on the side of the road they were so good, and brought the rest back for what my little one calls ‘the project’.
Real Jam. Happy Universe.
Rustic Strawberry Vanilla Bean Jam Recipe
Servings: 2 jars
Ingredients
- 3 punnets strawberries, green tips removed, rinsed.
- 1 pod vanilla, cut long ways down, then opened out a little with your fingers and then scraped with a knife. (1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or powder is fine also)
- 2 tbsp your favourite honey I love the Raw Miellerie Range, Leatherwood in particular. *you could sub the honey for stevia or rice syrup if you have lower your fructose consumption. 6-8 drops stevia should be perfect & rice syrup, same measure as the honey.
- 1/2 pc lemon, juiced into the pot with its seeds for the pectin
Instructions
- Cut the strawberries up into 4 each and pop them all into the pot. Add the vanilla pod along with it’s scraped insides into the pot, then the honey and the lemon. Cook on low heat for about an hour or until just before the strawberries start to break down to mush – I never said I was a technical recipe writer!
- Remove from heat. Spoon into 2 jars, removing lemon pips if you can. Cool with the lids off and then refrigerate. It is just so delicious! Working on some eggy coconut pancakes pictured here that I shall perfect before I share, but until then enjoy your sourdough toast or buckwheat blinis with strawberry jam!

Comments 2
what about using blue agave instead for a sweetener?
If you add some chia seeds and use frozen berries and lemon juice it’s amazing x