Strawberry and Spice Preserves

I just don't understand how the same stuff can be cheap and expensive at the same time. I was at Cold Storage the other day, and there were ridonkulously expensive and ricockulously cheap strawberries from Driscoll sitting side-by-side on the shelf.

I don't get it. Apart from the size of the packaging, they looked pretty much the same. Same brand, same fruit, same smell... even the packaging didn't say one was more chi-chi or organic. One package was $14.99 for 500g, and the other was TWO 500g packs for $5.99. I just don't get it.

This is a lesson in retail girls and boys. If a shopper can't discern the difference between two identical products at first glance, they will default to the cheaper option. Which means those expensive but utterly un-fancy strawberries are going to rot till they get consigned to the bargain bin. Bad for Cold Storage if they can't move pricy inventory by making retarded merchandising choices.

What is not retarded however, is my strawberry jam. It's a little decadent because I'm using a whole vanilla bean, but I really don't care. What's life if you don't pimp it out anyway?

• 500g red, ripe strawberries
• 500g sugar
• 50ml lemon juice, strained
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 whole vanilla bean

Wash and hull strawberries, leave the small ones whole and halve the larger ones. Prepare the vanilla pod by making a slit lengthwise on the bean, then scrape out all the gooey sticky seeds with the back of your knife.

Combine berries with sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl. Add the vanilla seeds, as well as the remaining pod and let stand for 3 to 4 hours so that the sugar melts and the flavours come together.

Bring strawberries to a boil slowly, stirring occasionally. Cook rapidly until strawberry mixture has reduced to a thick jam-like consistency, about 15 minutes.

Pour mixture into a shallow pan and let stand, uncovered, for 12 to 24 hours. Remove the vanilla bean pod but leave the cinammon stick in because it will look really pretty in the jar and continue to perfume the preserves. Ladle strawberry mixture into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.