Many times over the years, I’ve been asked the question, “What is your favorite thing to preserve?” Typically I hedge a little, saying something about my allegiance to seasonality or simply that there are too many delicious things in the world to preserve. However, when absolutely pressed, I’ll finally admit that there are a few jams and spreads I love best of all.
Sour cherry jam, featuring big hunks of fruit suspended in a ruby syrup. Thick, sticky tomato jam for spreading on toasted cheese sandwiches or dolloping on roasted sweet potatoes. And a long-cooked onion spread, gently caramelized and tangy with vinegar or beer.
When Maggie Battista from Eat Boutique came to me and suggested that we team up on a box, I knew immediately that I wanted it to include some of my favorites. And so we constructed a box that includes We Love Jam Tart Cherry Jam, Blue Chair Fruit Early Girl Tomato Jam, Wozz Triple Ale Onion Spread, and a signed copy of my book. And at $58 for all those goodies, it’s something of a deal for the preserves lover in your life.
Thanks to Eat Boutique, I also have one of these Preserves Collection boxes to give away to a lucky Food in Jars reader. Here’s how to enter.
- Leave a comment on this post and share your favorite preserve. Be it jam, chutney, pickle, or spread, tell me about your very favorite thing to preserve.
- Comments will close at 11:59 pm east coast time on Saturday, November 2, 2013. Winners will be chosen at random (using random.org) and will be posted on Sunday, November 3, 2013.
- Giveaway is open to US residents.
- One comment per person, please. Entries must be left on the blog, I cannot accept submissions via email.
I absolutely adore sour cherry jam. The notes of almond are just to die for on any breads.
It used to be strawberry jam, but a neighbor gave us a batch of pears this year and we made Apple Pear Chutney. Now I have a new favorite!
My favorite preserves are peach or nectarine. They brighten up the winter pantry like sunshine
My kids would say plum jam, and as a mom how can I not appreciate that? But my personal is peach chutney, because it transforms a simple grilled pork chop or pork tenderloin rubbed in salt, pepper and celery seed into something really impressive and special.
I’ve just started canning but Tomato Jam is my favorite thus far.
My all time favorite is black raspberry jelly.
So difficult to chose just one…strawberry bales mic black pepper, blackberry vanilla syrup, strawberry rhubarb, rhubarb chutney… Thanks, Marisa, I think all my favs come from you!!
Every time I preserve something I think it is my new favorite thing (except pickles). Today it is your pumpkin butter! Oh dear, it is so good!
Peach jam hands down
My favorite preserve is my first- my aunt’s seedless raspberry jam. It is the only thing I canned for many years, but now I am super into it! I will never not make her jam though!
Although I love all the pickles I have done through the years and lament that I haven’t found a good source for cukes the one thing I hunger for is the zucchini relish that goes on cheese sandwiches with lots of romaine lettuce. The recipe was given to me in the 70’s and it still is the best one I have tasted.
Zucchini relish? I gots to have that. can you post it? or do I have to google it?
I’m new to preserving, pickling, and fermenting, but I am loving it. My favorites are red cabbage sauerkraut and a ginger lime rhubarb runny preserves.
Thanks for the blog and the giveaway.
L
I love pickles. And jams.
My favorite thing to preserve was Apple Butter – just amazing!
At this very moment it’s jam…specifically your Peach Vanilla Jam with Honey which I’ve been enjoying on croissants all week!
Like many who’ve commented, it’s hard to pick just one.But this year it has to be Black Currant Jelly. We have a bush that doesn’t produce enough to make jelly every year so I froze currants last year and combined them with the ones picked this year for the jelly. It has such a rich almost smoky taste.
I’m loving tomato jam and anything with Rhubarb!
Fig Preserves using only black figs. Our fig trees gifted us with amazing figs this year, so abundant, but with only one black fig tree we tend to hold those separately for making preserves.
Lemon preserves (I’m lucky enough to have a Meyer Lemon tree)- but onion jam is a contender.
I started canning and preserving this summer so my experience is limited. I must say that apple butter is my favorite right now. My dad, a healthy and vibrant 81-year-old, says that my apple butter is the best! Melted my heart!
Squash relish is a favorite of mine and everyone loves it.
Strawberry jam! 🙂
Strawberry jam! It was my favorite to eat as a child, and now it’s my favorite to preserve
Fresh peaches in a very light syrup. Open a quart on a cold, snowy winter night and it’s a little bit of heaven.
my favorite my dads pickles, they are spicy, dilly, and just wonderful
Strawberry jam is my favorite. So much better than what you can buy in the stores, and I have great memories of working with Mom, picking & making jam. It’s definitely easier (and quicker) with a helper though!
My favorite is blackberry jam!
My favorite is homemade cranberry-apple chutney.
Canning.
I havn’t canned anything since my teens. Thats when we had peach trees and pear trees in the back yard. ( too bad ya can’t can ’em with the yellow jackets).
Since a trip to Tennessee, i have fallen in love with Mrs Renfros Chow Chow. Gimmie Gimmie su’moe chow chow! I keep eating it up and then its gone. So I say , cynthia, can your own. (Sorry Mrs Renfro) I’m sure mine wont be as good as hers, not to start out anyway.
So I find a recipie. my tomatoes are ready to be picked. I have to buy a cabbage this time, and some peppers.
I loose the recipie.
I need to still buy the ingredients for canning, like salt, pickling spice, jars…. its september and the produce will be more expensive soon….
i find jars. on sale! imagine that. Pickling salt on sale… am i starting this too late? THANK GOODNESS i dont need a pressure canner. waterbath canning for me. No one has pickling spice left. the store staff are oblivious. “Sorry ma’am, out of canning supplies.”
Where is that recipie! I check the cookbooks I have for a equivilent of canning spice mix. no such luck. my books are not canning cookbooks. Just JOY and BETTER HOMES…. ( i heard that).
Finally, i rember seeing it in the cooking isle on the McCormick rack. Yippie, i think i have everything. Its October. Hmmm.
Atleast i found the recipie.
My green tomatoes are almost all pink and orange by now. i have a new cabbage and had to get storebought green peppers. Im ready to start choppin. now if I just put all the veggies in the big pot …..wait a minute…. I need another pot to water bath in…..ARRRRG? How did I miss that… I must not have eaten enough veggies when i was young.
I am marching onward toward canning bliss, It may take a year or two to hash it into shape. At least Mrs. Renfro can relax. I’ll still love (to buy and eat) her chow chow. Maybe Ill just pour hers into my jars……na, i can do this…(repeat 3X while clicking ruby red slippers)
I shoulda just canned the rhubarb.
I’m really enjoying a blueberry basil jam I threw together this year.
My favorite is pomegranate jelly. Although choosing just one is nearly impossible!
I am new to the game of preserving, canning, etc., as I have just made my first batch of pickles this past April. My favorite thing to preserve thus far however, has been fig preserves using the figs from my grandparents tree. The interesting thing about this is that I have always hated figs, but absolutely love fig jam; especially on a baguette with a little goat cheese drizzled with honey.
Strawberry vanilla! Thank you
I love to make pepper jelly. I also love to make a triple berry jam.
I love cranberry banana jam.
I love raspberry jam.
Just made a batch of apple butter yesterday. It’s my favorite, because I use orchard-fresh Macintosh.
Fav preserve=your peach jam. Made it this past summer, divine!
I love marmalade and I love preserving almost anything!
Peach jam is my latest favorite!
Green tomato jam! So surprisingly yummy!
I enjoy hot pepper and onion jelly.
My favorite canned item is chili sauce, the way my grandmother used to make it and use on roast beef. I do love all the fruit items others have mentioned, but the chili sauce is something I crave and haven’t been able to find a suitable store-purchased substitute.
Hello! For now, my favorite (and first homemade) jam is of Japanese quince with star anise. Yet, I hope to list many others after being gifted the book “Food in Jars” in the next family Secret Santa!!
MMMMMMMM- Lemon curd. Hands. Down.
marmalade! I haven’t mastered it totally yet, but I’m loving my semi-successful products so far nonetheless.
I did my first batch of chokecherry syrup this summer and we love it.
Making pickles from our garden is my favorite thing to preserve. So simple and satisfying!
I’m so glad that I found your website while researching pear butter on the web. My first recipe from your site was for tomato jam and, I have to confess, that is now our favorite thing to can and to eat. Love it with goat cheese on crackers!
Just canned a tart cranberry jam–YUM!
I like canning caramel apple butter. It makes great gifts.
My new favorite is pickled beets – maybe not exciting for some but I love them! Beets are so good for you and i love the flavor of pickled beets in salads and as an extra veggie with a meat, potatoes, and veggie meal.
Chile tomato jam.
I love canning peaches! They are so simple, my daughter (10) loves to handle the blanching and ice bath, then peeling. I love how gorgeous they all look, round sides out, filling the jar, how they look like jars of sunshine all winter long. They are sweet and simple, and always taste like summer.
Thanks!
Blackberry jam!
By far my favorite would be tomato jam, or maybe dilly beans, oh wait apple butter, no pickle relish ….I can’t decide!
I have so many! If I had to pick just one for this year it would be the Blueberry Lime Jam
In my short life of canning I would have to say my favorite thing is tomato basil jam, although it is tedious with deseeding the tomatoes – it is oh so tasty when I get to eat it later!