If you have never experienced the joy of homemade jam made with juicy, fresh, seasonal fruit, this is a perfect time of year to start…
Jason and I recently tried this simple and delicious Honey-Sweetened Jam recipe from the Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen (Thank you Tom and Ali!), and from there we couldn’t stop. First Blackberry, then Strawberry-Rhubarb, Blueberry-Rhubarb, and now Peach-Raspberry and Lavender-Peach!
It’s amazing how easy it is to make homemade jam. There are recipes galore in cookbooks, on the Web and even included in packages of “pectin” (often used to achieve that distinct jam consistency). There is something so satisfying about pulling piping hot jars of fresh, delicious seasonal fruit out of the canning water, ready to be popped open for a mid-winter treat and a little taste of sunshine.
Not only is jam simple and delicious, but it is also affordable. The fruit at the peak of season is often the lowest in cost, especially at Farmer’s markets when fresh local produce is in great abundance. Furthermore, the “tools” of canning are easily found in most hardware or grocery stores, and they are well worth the modest investment- especially when the return is so “fruitful”. ;)
