There are a lot of obstacles to moving across the country. The obvious ones are logistics and schlepping. Lots and lots of backbreaking schlepping. But once most of the boxes have been unpacked and you're sleeping on your own bed at night (as opposed to a dreaded air mattress or a futon), you can start to dip your toes into your new surroundings.

One of my favorite ways to introduce myself to a new city and to feel at ease in my surroundings is to go to the local farmer's market. Farmer's markets, as different as they may be from region to region, have a familiar feel to them. The produce and the vendors are different, but the vibe is much the same. Best of all, you can start to get a sense of what grows well in your region. This is key, because what grows best near you is going to taste the best.

One of the most pleasant discoveries I've made so far in Portland is that the strawberries are unbelievable here. In fact, I feel like I've never really tasted a fabulous strawberry until the past two weeks. I realize this is a bold statement to make, but there's clearly something that strawberries love about the Pacific Northwest.

After nearly eating my weight in these fragrant, red-to-the-core berries (and developing a case of heartburn in the process), I wanted to do something special with the rest of the flat (!), and I'm not talking strawberry shortcake (although that may be in our near future).

When you have really exquisite fruit, you want to do as little to it as possible, or at least I do. And these berries...well, let's just say that I knew it would be hard for me to improve upon what nature had already done. But one way of concentrating the flavor and preserving it for less strawberry-rich times is to make jam. Really awesome jam.

For fruit like this, I add as little sugar as possible. After all, if the fruit is very sweet to begin with, it's only going to get more concentrated as you reduce it. Adding a lot of sugar will induce a quick set and cause the jam to jell more quickly, but you get a less saccharine, more fruity jam if you just add less sugar and cook it down a bit more. Having said that, this is not a strawberry jam that a spoon will stand up in. It's soft and very lightly jelled, but not runny.

Use your taste buds from the outset to determine how much sugar you need. If you have very sweet fruit like I did, you may add as little as one cup sugar. If you start with tart or only mildly sweet fruit, you may choose to add as much as 4 cups sugar. The amount of sugar used directly affects the jelling time. More sugar, and your jam may be ready in as little as 15 minutes after the fruit reaches a boil. Less sugar, and you may have to cook the jam for twice as long.

Also bear in mind that the variation in sugar content and cooking time will affect the yield. This recipe theoretically makes about four 1/2-pint jars, but I always like to prepare an extra jar or two in the event that I need them, and sometimes the yield will be less than stated depending on the water content of your fruit and how long you have to boil it. I ended up with three and a half 1/2-pint jars.

Other articles you might enjoy: Amy's Tomato Jam, Golden Cherry Tomato and Ginger Jam, Strawberries With Vanilla Bourbon Zabaglione