I love the versatility of strawberries – just enough tart to hold their own, and shine through even in salads!

At this point of summer, even I’m getting tired of the same old salads. But making your own dressings is an easy way to jazz up your salad routine!

It’s also a great way to use up the last of a jar of jam (or honey, or mustard etc…). Plus you skip the icky additives found in so many purchased dressings.

This is a ‘Strawberry Jam’ based recipe, specifically freezer jam, that tastes so much brighter than cooked jam. I usually make a jar of this dressing with the overflow from making freezer jam, or the last dregs of the previous jar…

Find my Strawberry Jam recipe HERE.

If you’re looking for more inspiration on making more of your own items from scratch, I have to recommend Kris Bordessa’s latest book, Attainable Sustainable Pantry.

I mention using white balsamic in this recipe only because when I first went to play with this recipe, I had some on hand. The white balsamic does lighten the flavor and let the strawberry burst through. But you can easily swap out the white for regular balsamic vinegar.

I’ve only ever made this with fresh thyme leaves, but I’m sure you could make with dried thyme. Just give it some time to hang out and add its flavor to the dressing.

Strawberry Vinaigrette RECIPE4 Tbsp strawberry freezer jam
(see recipe link above)1/4 Cup ripe strawberries1/2 Cup of mild oil (avocado or olive)2 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar
(or use regular balsamic)2 Tbsp white wine vinegar1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme leavesSalt + pepper to taste

Add all ingredients to a jar. Mash fresh berries with a fork. I like having some bigger pieces of berries in the vinaigrette, but you do you.

You can just ‘shake it till you make it’, until you see the oil and vinegar emulsify. I recommend making sure the lids are on really tight before shaking! You can use a hand held milk frother or a mini-whisk. You could even add this to a blender if you wanted to.

Don’t skip the chopped thyme leaves, its such a great addition to the typical berry vinaigrette.

You can use right away, but it also keeps in the refrigerator two weeks. Shake before using.

More on Growing Strawberries.

I love making small jars of dressing. They’ll perfectly dress one big family sized salad, or a few of my personal sized salads. This recipe can easily be halved to make the most of whatever you have on hand.

Dig In,
Michelle

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