Jammin’ ~

I’ll get to the business of making jam in a sec…but 

first, meet my Southern California blogging friend,

Mindy Laven  of Mindy Laven Interiors!

We met for lunch the other day, at

The Pink Door  in

Seattle’s Pike Place Market.

(The door really IS pink!)

 Loved meeting her and exchanging

blogging ideas & inspiration!!

Speaking of the market…

It’s still berry season at your  local 

market…before summer ends, I hope

you make up a batch or two of

my super simple, fresh  jam. I couldn’t resist these

raspberries, in gorgeous shades of gold…

and red!

Fresh jam, couldn’t 

be simpler to make. Two quarts of berries to

a half-cup or so…of flavored  sugar and 

that’s my little twist.

For the golden raspberries, I went with vanilla bean sugar 

(I make my own, using my left over vanilla beans & superfine sugar)

and for the luscious red, red raspberries, I used lavender sugar.

(Pick up a tin of organic culinary lavender at your

local market. Add a tablespoon per

2 cups of sugar…let it hang out for a bit and strain before using.)

Add a little lemon zest and juice to the berries if you like…

and let it all bubble away on the

stove top for 20 to 30 minutes,

stirring often. Pour it off into a jar

and refrigerate for up to one week.

The golden raspberry & vanilla

jam is wonderful on

toasted brioche or spooned onto

 warm brie cheese.

 This raspberry-lavender jam will

be drizzled warm,

onto my homemade vanilla ice cream.

Hope you get  jammin’!