Jam is my love language. We honestly don’t eat much jam at home (maybe we will as Rose gets older and asks for fruit in the winter), but I make a ton of it anyway because I love giving it as a gift to friends and to loved ones for the holidays.

This morning I made raspberry thyme jam from berries we picked over the weekend. Do you ever add herbs to your preserves? It’s my favorite way to add a little character and allow the jam to be somewhat savory, instead of just jars of sugar. I also like to use local honey as my sweetener and skip the pectin because I like a looser jam (If I want to thicken it a bit, I’ll add some grated apple with the peel). Everybody’s got their things, right?

Raspberry Thyme Jam:
(makes 4 half pints)
6 cups raspberries
1.5 cups honey
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped

In a large stock pot, combine berries and honey. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until reduced to your liking (mine cooked down for about thirty minutes). When jam is as thick as you like, add lemon juice and thyme and mix well. Pour jam into half pints jars and process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes. Done!