Strawberry Balsamic Jam
A thick and sweet strawberry jam with a tangy balsamic kick – perfect for your morning toast!
When the kind folks over at California Strawberries invited me to a strawberry field tour in Oxnard, I definitely didn’t have to think twice about going. Strawberries have been my favorite fruit since I was a kid, and I’ve been so lucky to be living in California with the luxury of eating strawberries throughout the entire year.
My 5-year old niece and nephew made the trip with me to this gorgeous strawberry field and we had such a blast picking strawberries together. (By “together”, I actually mean chasing them around the fields, making sure they don’t trip and fall or get lost, and then making them stay still while I snapped a gazillion photos.)
Then during the tour, these two kids found the most amazing sticks (so amazing that my nephew actually wanted to bring it home) and started digging away to find some “hidden treasure”. Yes, they were absolutely serious about this treasure and even asked me to help dig.
When dinnertime came around, Chef Tim Kilcoyne prepared an amazing strawberry-based meal that we all devoured under the gorgeous California sun. The menu included:
- First Course: Bruschetta with Fava Bean Ricotta, Housemade California Strawberry Mustard and Arugula
- Entree: Braised Chicken Enchiladas with Swiss Card, Roasted California Strawberry Mole and Queso Fresco
- Dessert: Chocolate Genoise Cake with Strawberry Mousse, Ganache and White Chocolate Dipped Strawberry
- Drinks: California Strawberry Basil Meyer Lemonade
My favorite part of the meal was the strawberry basil Meyer lemonade. The strawberry and basil came together so beautifully, both bringing in sweetness as well as a hint of mintyness from the basil. Plus, turning it into a lemonade brings about such a refreshing tartness.
Although I was a bit distracted from the tour looking after the kids and trying to avert a broken stick situation – my nephew’s amazing stick broke in the middle of the tour and he was absolutely DEVASTATED – I learned so much about strawberries that I never knew before. I mean I knew we were blessed with a year-round strawberry growing season but I had absolutely no idea that California was actually the nation’s leading producer of strawberries. Strawberries are grown on 40,000 acres from Orange County all the way up to Monterey Bay, growing about 88% of the country’s strawberries! Amazing, right?
With the abundance of these gorgeous strawberries in California, we were sent home with a huge batch of freshly picked strawberries, in which I used to make a jam. It’s a wonderfully thick and sweet jam, and the addition of balsamic vinegar further enhances these flavors, lending even more sweetness and complexity to the strawberries. Best of all, you can use this to top off almost anything, from your morning toast to your midnight ice cream snack.
Strawberry Balsamic Jam
Ingredients
- 1 pound strawberries, hulled and diced
- 3 tablespoons sugar, or more to taste
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, or more to taste
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine strawberries, sugar and balsamic vinegar, to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened, about 25-30 minutes.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by California Strawberries. All opinions expressed are my own.
I just made this jam yesterday and I must say it is dam delicious. It was so easy to make and I got to use up the strawberries in my fridge before they went bad. Today I’m going to try a multiple fruit mix, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and some left over strawberries I still have left. I’m sure it will be just as tasty. I got this recipe from my weekly flyer from Root Cellar here in Victoria British Columbia Canada. Thanks for a great and very easy recipe to make fresh fruit jam and so easy to make. I’ll never buy pre-made store bought jam ever again.
Quick question. I was planning to put these in water bath to can. Any changes necessary?
Was looking through my freezer for inspiration, you always have something new that I can’t wait to try. I had cut up my strawberries last night. My plan was to make jam and I had everything needed here. Across the room I saw a bottle of balsamic vinegar so I turned to your site and there it was.
This looks fabulous! I’m going to try it today. I’m sure we’ll eat it fast enough not to worry about storage times, but do you think it’s something that would freeze well?
Thanks for all the great recipes—I always find what I need and more on your site!
Hi Bonnie, we haven’t tried freezing this ourselves yet, so I can’t answer your question with certainty. Please use your best judgement when freezing and reheating. But let us know how it turns out if you try it! Sorry I couldn’t be of more help.
How long can Strawberry Jam last in the refrigerator? How long can you keep from eating it!
As I am not an expert on food safety, I am not comfortable answering these questions. Methods for optimal food storage and shelf life should be based on good judgment and what you are personally comfortable with.
How long did it last in the mason jar? 3 days, a week, 2 weeks???
It can last anywhere from a few weeks to several months, but please use your best judgment as I am not an expert on food safety.
Carleen don’t look at this as jam but more of a fresh fruit topping. It’s great on ice cream as a dessert or inside crepes with whipping cream, on top of pancakes with butter or with peanut butter and jam sandwich. It can be used on a lot of things to punch up the taste. But I’m sure once you try this wonderful topping you won’t have to worry about it going bad as it will disappear faster than you can make it especially if you have kids. They will eat it right out of the jar.
Hello! I was wondering how you stored the jam and how long it lasts
Judy, I stored it in a mason jar in the fridge.