If you have as many cookbooks as I do, you know there usually is a section in the old-style family cookbooks called “Jams, Jellies, and Preserves.”  Nothing compares with the happy homemade goodness of fresh fruit jams, jellies and preserves made during the summer and spread on biscuits or bread right out of the oven.

It used to be that everyone canned the bounty from their gardens and fruit trees, making jams, jellies, and preserves in huge quantities. That was just what you did (and you liked doing it). Now you can hardly meet anyone who knows the difference between a boiling water bath and a sitz bath. Once in awhile I will make some refrigerator jam (the kind that doesn’t require boiled jars), but like most folks these days, I usually comparison shop for the best buy at the supermarket, and hope my choices are good.

For variety, I often try different brands of jams, jellies, and preserves to see if any are distinctive. According to How Stuff Works.com, jams, jellies and preserves are all made from fruit mixed with sugar and pectin. The form of the fruit is what makes the difference:

Jam – The fruit is from fruit pulp or crushed fruit.

Jelly – The fruit is in the form of fruit juice.

Preserves – The fruit is from chunks of fruit with sweet syrup.

The great thing about making your own family cookbook is that you don’t have to follow any pattern set by anyone else, even the tried-and-true cookbook rules.  It is all your own creation, and you can include whatever recipes you prefer.

If you are a jam maker, then by all means, add those family recipes to your cookbook in your “Jams, Jellies & Preserves” section. It is easy with the recipe template in our do-it-yourself cookbook software. Just click “choose this recipe’s type” and you can create a new section or category, and type in or cut-and-paste any family recipes.

P.S.  I have a Concord grape vine that is trying to make raisins because I keep forgetting to pick the fruit. If I don’t go out there soon, I won’t get a single whole grape or raisin,  and certainly won’t make any jams, jellies or preserves. Oh well, I really only grow them for the birds.

Making a recipe book? Check out all the recipe software and cookbook binding supplies we have at CookbookPeople.com.

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