2013 was the year I began experimenting with Black Velvet apricots, a 50/50 plum/apricot hybrid. A basic jam made with just Black Velvets and sugar is lovely, but this combo ups the ante a bit.

Shiro plums are such a lovely color of yellow and are one of the small plum varieties that I have seen at the farmers market in recent weeks. I had about a quart of them left and wanted to make some jam that highlighted their beauty and flavor but had a surprising, savory element too. Basil it was! Just three ingredients, and decidedly small-batch(!), this is beautiful, unique, and so darn good, I'm just eating it with a spoon.

The annual farewell to summer produce can leave jammers distraught. What can I put up now?! Although the fruit-based options are fewer and perhaps less dazzling in some ways (visually and otherwise), there is still much that can be done with fall's gems, especially apples and pears. Generally, I don't much like apple jams. I'd rather have a good applesauce any day. But apples love many other ingredients, and I enjoy pairing their sweet-tartness with more savory elements. Here, I macerate apples and pears with lemon thyme, lemon zest and juice, black pepper and sugar and then cook that mixture down to a crystalline spread, adding some pear brandy near the end. The result is a sweet jam with earthy undertones, just begging to be spread atop a good cheese and some crackers.

Who doesn't love strawberry-rhubarb pie? It's one of my favorites, a summery treat that oozes freshness and bright flavors. This jam is an attempt to bottle my Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie Version 2.

As many of you know, strawberry jam can be cloying, too sweet to be enjoyed. By and large this is because strawberries have little in the way of natural pectin so you really have to add a lot of sugar to compensate. As well, cooking strawberries seems to concentrate their natural sweetness, adding to the sugary taste factor. To compensate for lack of natural pectin, I added one grated apple per 4 cups of berries and cooked things until thick. What results is a beautiful, richly colored loosely set preserve whose sweetness is perfectly offset by lemon juice, cardamom and the slight tang of the apple. 

As summer bids us farewell and the cooler weather of fall rolls in, I feel slightly bittersweet because there is less fruit available with which to can. The berries and stone fruits are gone for the year; now is the time to make heartier fare like apple and pear butters. For a brief time though, you can still buy rhubarb at the farmers markets in our area. Rhubarb tends to be a secondary fruit, a supporting actress if you will, but such needn't be the case. Here, it's the main event, buttressed only by sugar, some fresh orange juice and a bit of crystallized ginger. Enjoy! 

This beauty was inspired by my similarly flavored crisp. The tangs of the rhubarb, cherries and hibiscus work harmoniously in concert with the sweetness imparted by the multifaceted cherries and sugar. Four ingredients, simple as that!

Two of summer's greatest stars come together in this marvelous jam. Sweet, tangy and just a touch gingery, this sings.

In an attempt to ignore winter yet capitalize on the produce available during it, I made this: a gorgeous jelly that has both perfect tang and sweetness. 

An avid canner, I'm always playing around with new combinations of flavor and texture. And, I enjoy adding a savory twist to traditional sweet jams. I had a bunch of rhubarb in my fridge and a Ginger Gold apple leftover from making chutney. Allspice is one of my favorite spices and I thought it might pair nicely with juniper berries. What resulted was a really pretty, wonderfully rich, layered fruit butter.

Growing up in Louisiana, I came to love Tabasco pepper jelly. Spread over a Port Salut-topped cracker? Perfection! I also adore plum jam and wanted combine both  into a jam with the spice of the pepper jelly but the ease in making of the plum. This perfectly fits my bill. Love! 

I often find blueberry jams to be uncomfortably sweet. This recipe remedies that by incorporating tangy rhubarb, Cava and a few grinds of black pepper. Delicious on toast, on yogurt or with cheese and crackers. 

When blood oranges are in season, I'm always smitten by their marbled beauty and juicy tang. Though I'm happy to eat them plain, I have long wanted to make a jelly with their juice and this year thought Prosecco and crystallized ginger would be terrific additions. They definitely are!

When fall approaches, the canner in me starts to envision hearty sweet-savory compotes rather than summer fruit jams. This compote just screams out to be enjoyed with grilled or roasted meat on a cool evening, atop hot polenta and taleggio and would also be absolutely wonderful on your Thanksgiving table. The concord grape base nicely supports the addition of rosemary, garlic, black grapes and brown sugared-pine nuts and the flavors interplay in a truly sublime way.

This recipe was inspired by my mother's Jezebel Sauce, a Southern hors d'oeuvres of pineapple preserves, apple jelly, horseradish and dried mustard (served over cream cheese), these preserves also combine the sweet and spicy.

This is a simple plum jam, lightly spiced with orange, allspice and cinnamon. It’s a wonderful way to preserve the summery taste of plums but also helps usher in fall with its warm, inviting aromas.

This tastes like caramelized peach pie filling- yum!

A wonderful twist on the standard strawberry-rhubarb jam, this instead draws upon the bright tartness of plums and the floral spiciness of star anise to compliment the rhubarb!

This jam takes advantage of the sweet depth of white peaches by adding a savory component of rosemary, black pepper and Cognac. This would be fabulous on grilled bread and/or as a spread for a good, salty, hard cheese!

A delightful recipe from Hugh Acheson, this results in a crunchy, gingery carrot "pickle." The recipe below is mostly Hugh's but reflects slight changes and/or clarifications I've made and found helpful.

This is an absolutely wonderful recipe from Marisa McClellan (foodinjars.com). I love the pairing of dill with the scapes, as well as the after-oomph of garlic upon swallowing! I've made some minor changes which are noted below. Yum!

This recipe is a love letter. 

This is another recipe that's come through the generations of my family on my mom's side, and it's a jewel in our crown of goodies. This is the best cranberry sauce I've ever had, and I really mean that. In addition to a "must" at our Thanksgiving and Christmas tables, this sauce elevates a turkey sandwich to greater heights, is wonderful with roast pork, with yogurt in the morning, or again, plain for a little treat.

Although time-consuming, this fruit butter is an absolutely delicious way to use lots of apples! This recipe comes from Canning for a New Generation by Liana Krissoff.

Delicious sweet-hot chutney; great with cheddar, roasted meats...I found this recipe in the New York Times. It's from Tart and Sweet. I once ran out of raisins so subbed currants; also terrific.

A delicious way to preserve the best of the season, this jam is summer in a jar. It's beautiful, simple, pectin-free, and come winter, you'll be glad to have made extras.

This is a scrumptious treat that was highlighted in the Recipe Redux column that Amanda Hesser used to write for the NYTimes Magazine. I've made this recipe countless times, and it always receives rave reviews!

The cherries are so beautiful and flavorful this time of year, and I always make jam for my boys (who love it alongside my cherry-spelt scones). I can never resist cardamom so decided to experiment by whisking some into my jam as it cooked down. Heaven. 

This is a very loose jam that also makes a great sauce for ice cream.