Preserve the Flavors of Summer in Jam

Come December, you’ll be glad you did

Photo: Burcu Atalay Tankut/Moment/Getty Images

You’ll be hard-pressed to come up with a reason not to make your own jam with a method as simple as this. What little effort it does take is worth the satisfaction of spreading homemade jam on toast in the morning or tucking it in between the layers of a cake or inside a pillowy doughnut.

And don’t miss this opportunity to get creative. Swap out the sugar for brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup. Mix up your acids, too: Lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, orange liqueur, citrus juice, and bourbon are all good options here. For seasonings, consider lemon zest, tarragon, thyme, citrus zest, vanilla bean seeds, or almond extract.

Take the opportunity to use up that bumper crop of peaches, cherries, or whatever looked good at the farmers market. You’ll thank yourself in a few months.

Fruit Jam

Makes: About 1½ cups
Time: About 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound fruit, peeled, pitted, and chopped as necessary
• ¼ cup sugar, or more to taste
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, vinegar, booze, or other acidic liquid
• Seasonings (optional)