Sour Cherry Season

When I was in California last month, I had the most delicious breakfast I’ve ever eaten at Brown Sugar Kitchen in Oakland. We ordered a buttermilk biscuit to share while we waited for our meal (we should have each ordered our own), and on the table there was a pot of sour cherry jam to eat with it. After we’d polished off the last crumbs of the biscuit, I contemplated eating the jam right out of the pot with a spoon. That morning I vowed to finally get my hands on some sour cherries this year and make some jam. Sour cherries have a very short season and are far more fragile than the sweet ones, so unless you have your own sour cherry tree, you really have to be on top of things to get your hands on some. I’m usually not that on top of things. Continue reading

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

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I don’t know if there’s any kind of pie I don’t like, but strawberry rhubarb pie is without a doubt my favorite. In January, opening a jar of this jam is the next best thing to pie. It’s peak strawberry season here now, so I made a big batch of jam last night, and we may have to have pie this weekend too. Continue reading

Meyer Lemon & Grapefruit Marmalade

Around here canning season winds down in October with apple butter and sauerkraut. There’s not a whole lot to put in jars between now and strawberry season, so in January I like to indulge in a few pounds of citrus from sunnier places to tide me over. Making a batch of marmalade will take you all afternoon, which is not necessarily a bad thing when it’s 20 degrees and snowy and you don’t really want to go anywhere anyway. Continue reading