This is a straightforward plum jam that can be flavored as you like. I add winter spices such as star anise and a cinnamon stick, thinking ahead to lean days with no summer fruit in the trees. Purple ...

To achieve this plum jam nirvana, start with good fruit. It doesn’t have to be precious stuff — save that for eating fresh — but find fragrant plums and pluots. That’s obvious. This next trick, less ...

Sometimes it’s good to cook by feel, tasting things as you go, throwing in a “why not” ingredient here, a dash of something else there. But canning is not one of those times. Hand-holding is highly ...

Why is Christian Science in our name? Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and we’ve always been transparent about that. The church publishes the ...

1 tablespoon freshly ground cardamom seeds (or a little more if cardamom is pre-ground) Instructions: Prepare for water-bath canning: Sterilize the jars and keep them hot in the canning pot, put a ...

SAVING SUMMER: The fruit and liquor unite to make downright dreamy preserves I'm lucky enough to have a large, mature plum tree in my backyard. Unluckily, though, it's an ornamental plum, producing ...

For the past five years, I ve spent my late-summer birthday making plum jam. Parties are fun. Cake is good. But all I want is the quiet pleasure of standing over the stove, stirring and staring as the ...