Fun fact: I don't really like jam. At most I can take a spoonful in my oatmeal in the morning before I'm on the verge of a sugar coma. Why do I keep making it? A mild mason jar obsession may have something to do with it...
I've made- left to right
Apricot Rosemary Jam: (top jar, leftmost column). A little too much rosemary- wish I'd put the herb in a cheesecloth bag so I could've mitigated how intense it got. But! really awesome when mixed with soy sauce and sriracha and used as a glaze for chicken. Nom.
Gingery Plum Jam: (bottom jar, leftmost column). May be my jam favorite to date, wish I hadn't given so many jars away. It ended up being a little too firm but great when warmed.
Ginger Apple Cranberry Jam: (from this lovely book- obviously I have a favorite recipe source). so much sweetness, but also too much lemon. Also made too much of it. I did get to play around with apples though (Winesap, Cortland and...I forgot the third one). Anyone want a jar? Those pints are going to be tough to work through.
Gingery (Bosc) Pear Jam: (Third column). I forget where I got this, sadly. I almost burnt the bottom, but I think that added a little carmel-y depth to the flavor that I really like, even though I'm not a big pear fan. A little loose though- was worried about keeping it on to thicken when the bottom was burning...
The remaining columns are variations on the following recipes: Blood Orange Marmalade, Kumquat Marmalade and Meyer Lemon Curd (actually not pictured up there, whoops).
The Kumquat (the shortest column) is a little on the sweet side, but I think with time the citrus will assert itself and be easier for me to take. Also I was a little lazy (and seriously in need of a small-batch canning pot) so the curd is not shelf stable...but it's so effin tasty I can't imagine it lasting more than a month in my fridge anyhow. Here's a pic, as it's not one of the above:
The real star for me was the Blood Orange Marmalade. Marmalade uses the pith, whose bitterness balances out that intense sweetness I'm not the biggest fan of.
I've made straight up batches, some with honey, one with a meyer lemon when I realized I was short an orange, and- probably my favorite- a batch with a little jalapeno. The heat is mild, just a little tickle in the back of your throat. I doubt people will even realize it's in there unless you tell them.
Here it is as breakfast, on sourdough:
Dangerous stuff, this. So I may need to stop canning for a bit, or at least until next season's produce tempts me. Rhubarb, you're on my list.
