Since the dawn of time our ancestors furiously gorged on the bounty of summer fruits and berries, getting their fill before the season ran out.
Eventually they figured out how to preserve the surplus, a tradition we love to continue today.
Whatever your reasons for preserving -- an homage to your grandmothers, to connect with the earth or just simple economic common sense -- we have nine excellent recipes, from jellies to salsas, to help you make the best of this summer's wonderful produce.
Summer-fresh jams and jellies
Try these tasty twists on three classic flavours!
1. Strawberry Balsamic Black Pepper Jam
The sweetness of strawberries, tang of vinegar and heat of pepper create a perfectly balanced preserve to enjoy with cheese and crackers.
2. Strawbery Vanilla Jam
A vanilla bean infuses this strawberry jam with intriguing flavour and aroma.
3. Rhubarb Orange Jelly
Sharp yet sweet, this jelly is delicious on toast or as an accompaniment to poultry or pork. Use the pinkest rhubarb you can find for vibrant colour.
Summer-fresh preserves
This batch of recipes highlights the summer flavours of raspberries and currants in jams and liqueurs. Check "Best preserving pot" on page 2 of this article for what kind of pot to use.
1. Summer-Fresh Raspberry Freezer Jam
With a loose set and intensely fresh raspberry taste that captured our taste buds, this is the Test Kitchen's hands-down favourite freezer jam.
2. Raspberry Red Currant Jam
The natural pectin in red currants makes commercial pectin unnecessary for this lively soft-set jam. This recipe is adapted from the Bernardin Complete Book of Home Preserving (Robert Rose, 2006).
3. Black Currant Liqueur
French crème de cassis is the inspiration for this sweet and fruity liqueur. This drink makes a refreshing cocktail by topping 1 oz (25 mL) with 4 oz (125 mL) chilled white wine, sparkling white wine or soda water.
Photography by Yvonne Duivenvoorden
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