Spicy Strawberry Chipotle Jam

Chop half of the berries into small pieces and smash the rest of the berries. You should have approximately 3 cups—a little extra is ok.

In a saucepan, combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar and salt over medium heat. Stir the mixture occasionally, until the sugar dissolves.

Add all the berries and the minced chipotle peppers to the pan. Bring to a low boil. Then lower heat just a bit and simmer for 10 minutes.

Then check the gel consistency by placing a small amount of the mixture on a frozen surface. Run your fingers through it. If it is not runny; remove the jam from heat. If it is still runny, simmer for another 5-10 minutes and check again. The jam could take 10-40 minutes to gel properly.

Place the hot jam in sterilized jars. Either seal in a hot water bath (according to proper canning technique) or refrigerate the jars immediately.

Yields 3-4 six ounce jars (depending on how long it simmers.)

*Note about the berries: Try to select 1 cup of slightly-unripe berries for the extra pectin they provide.