I know not whether I have actually succeeded in the canning part – they seem sealed…I followed the directions – but I can say that the stuff inside is good and I am counting on it being good also in the dead of Winter.

I’ve done classic strawberry jam, drunken strawberry jam (berry + red wine), spicy peach preserve (cinnamon and nutmeg), mangolime & coconut sauce (think of it warm on crepes, waffles, or pancakes) and framboise-marinated pears. The pears will come out in December, hopefully having turned deep purple, to feature in my Pear Frangipane Tarts. They are my very first holiday tradition. There are more peaches ripening, and more pears too. Back in school, I made a very warm, very sweet, very strange Pear Lime jam with habanero peppers. I have no idea what a gal, under more normal circumstances would do with it, aside from melt over venison maybe. It’s tempting to recreate, but when will I ever have venison again?

In any case, this new endevour is certainly keeping me occupied whilst I wait for the winemaking book (and cash enough to get going with all the stuff). Kinda makes me want to go find a creek to keep my butter cold in…