my travels had me in bayfield wisconsin this week. the weather was good. the island was fun. the strawberry picking was fantastic. well, okay. i know that going out into a hot and buggy field to pick strawberries in a bent-back stagger is not everyone's cup of tea. in fact, we were pretty much the only ones out there with the strawberries that afternoon, but i must confess that i love it. this year's crop was stunted from the wet and cool conditions of spring, but the crops have rebounded and are producing very small gems of strawberries with very sweet and condensed flavor. we picked at a farm called 'rocky acres', and the teal blue tractor from the 1970's? was the eye catching mascot.

when i see rows and rows of red, ripe strawberries, it is very difficult to regain my attention if you were looking to do so. i start swooning over the strawberry-rhubarb-vanilla bean jam i'm going to make as soon as i get home. i think about strawberry shortcakes laced with...maybe fresh basil and blue cornmeal. my mind is flipping through my flavor card catalog, combining the flavors of various things i have tasted. i can't help but think about how great sweet, ripe strawberries will taste with tangy, salty cheeses. you get the idea. so i approach pick yer' own strawberries with gusto, and this field was really there for me.

i did go home and make jam. a vanilla bean laced- fresh picked strawberry jam. i like to have homemade jams on hand for gifts, for thanking the many people who grace our lives. the jam takes a few days to set up, but i usually cannot resist opening up a jar and slathering the sweet berry goodness on buttery toast. here's a very basic recipe for the jam. i used sugar and went very traditional, like grams used to make. there are so many alternative sweeteners out there if you want to play around with the recipe. i used liquid pectin as i always seem to get better results. jam on!!

4 cups crushed strawberries
7 cups sugar
1 vanilla bean, cut lengthwise
juice of 1 small lemon
1 packet of liquid pectin

*prep your canning jars before you start! this means washing all of the jars and lids with hot soapy water, and then boiling those jars and lids so they are completely sanitary and clean. any impurities left on the jars can result in moldy- funky jar. you don't want that!

combine the strawberries, sugar, vanilla bean, and lemon juice in a large pot. place on high heat, and while stirring frequently, bring to a rolling boil. add the liquid pectin, bring back to a boil, and boil for 1 minute, stirring frequently. remove from heat, and place into prepared jars. wipe the rims of the jars, put the lids on, place in your canner, and process 10 minutes. *i do not have a canner, so i just submerge the jars in a large stock pot of boiling water, and let them hang out in the boiling water for 10 minutes.*

jam on!