Welcome to this year’s hodgepodge holiday-themed gift giving December posts.   I do know that I have some cookie recipes and maybe some other kitchen gifts to post.  Who knows what will show up?  Today, however, I’m starting with jam.  (Big surprise, right?)

This growing season I made too much jam.  Last year I made too  much jam.  The year before that I made too much jam.   Guess what?   The year before that I also made too much jam.    I am kind of a jam-a-holic.

I usually ship some boxes to “out-of-staters” for Christmas.

Last year, we immediately got a phone call from my sister-in-law.    Because we have a “no gift” policy on that side of the family, we thought we were going to be chastised for sending a Christmas gift to them. Instead, she and the nieces and nephews were giving us rave reviews on the jellies and jams we had sent and told us how they had run out of bread and had started eating the preserves on crackers and any other bread-like substances they could find in the house.

They wanted more.

It was at this point that The Hubs and I both came to the same conclusion.    Next year, we would enroll them in our own “Jam of the Month Family Plan.”

This year, I have been putting away jam, preserves, chutneys and jellies for this family plan.

Again, I have made too much jam.  Everyone at school (and then some) is getting a  jar for Christmas.  Here is a round-up of jams, jellies, and preserves from the archives of EE.

Apples:

Apple Marmelade

Cranberry Apple Chutney

Grandma’s Apple Butter

 

Blackberries:

Blackberry-Lemon Jam with Cinnamon Basil

Blackberry-Lime Jam

Blackberry Port Jam

Thyme-Blackberry Jam

 

Blueberries:

Balsamic-Cinnamon Blueberry Jam

Blueberry Spiced Jam

 

Cherries:

Spiked Cherry Conserve

 

Grapes:

Grape Conserve

Grape Jam with Orange Essence

Spiced Grape Jelly 

Spiced Grape-Orange Jam

Vintage Grape Jelly

Lemons:

Meyer Lemon Marmalade

 

Peppers:

Cherry-Pepper Jam

Hot Pepper Tequila Jelly

Mango-Jalapeno Jelly

Stone Fruits:

Ginger Peach Jam

Red Nectarine and Candied Ginger Jam

Spiced Peach Jam with Brandy 

Peach Honey

Peach Marmalade

 

Pears:

Chocolate Pear Jam

Pear Honey

Strawberries:

Balsamic Basil Strawberry Jam 

Strawberry Lemon Marmalade

Miscellaneous:  

Dandelion Jelly

Lavender Wine Jelly

Mango Lime Jam with Ginger

Raspberry Jam with Ginger and Chile and Fresh Mint

Tomato Jam

 

 

 

The Hubs’ sister and her family are getting a personalized “Jam of the Month” club membership directly from our kitchen.    I am going to include a recipe along with each jar like my “Baking with Jam” collection,  Blackberry Salad Dressing, or Coconut Macaroon Tartlets with Jam Filling.

We returned from our Thanksgiving trip to Houston last week with about 75 lbs. of Meyer Lemons from my MiL’s backyard tree.  I imagine there will be some more lemon recipes in the archives soon.  I found some great ideas at Food in Jars. 

For other Christmas themed posts, you might be interested in these posts:

• For cookies, elixirs, fudge, and DIY root beer-reindeer sextets and farolitos, click here.
• For a cheese ball,  suet feeders, sock monkeys for adults, and other gift items, click here.
• For a baker’s dozen (and then some) of Gifts from the Kitchen, click here.
• For Twelve Days of Christmas Treats, click here.