Strawberry Balsamic bon bon

As a kiddo, summertime meant working in the garden. And then … hauling our harvest into the kitchen and doing a little more work over the hot stove.

Fresh strawberries—hulled, sliced, then dumped into a big pot. Pour in sugar. Add a squeeze of lemon. And then … blurp … the warm scent of summer comes bubbling outta that pot and gives you a steamy, strawberry-scented facial.

Then ladling that warm goodness into hot Ball jars and, finally hearing the happy popping sound throughout the kitchen as the lids magically sealed themselves.

 

B (of Lulubee)

And she’s all grown up and heading to college in a few weeks. [Wah!]

Although I don’t have rooms filled with bottled peaches, jars of handmade salsa, and containers of tangy dilly beans like my mama does, there’s still something intrinsically rewarding when I make the most out of my harvest—even if it’s the harvest I nabbed at the farmer’s market!

Except nowadays, I don’t store my strawberry jam for the winter months, instead I stir it into my rich milk chocolate to make the strawberry ganache in my Strawberry Balsamic bon bon.