Preserves, Jams, and Pickles

I like the process of preparing preserves, jams, and pickles. It’s like capturing summer in a jar, which you can open and taste at any time, even in the coldest days of December. I don’t run a cannery in my apartment that makes several dozen jars every summer (though I know people who do), but I like to go to the market, pick the most beautiful fruits and vegetables, buy much more than I need, and make a lot of jams and preserves. It’s always a worthy pursuit.

When it comes to jams and preserves, I like them to be special. I pair rose petals with raspberries in Konfitura malinowa z płatkami różanymi (Raspberry Preserves with Rose Petals), mix strawberries with lime and almonds in Truskawkowo-limonkowa konfitura z płatkami migdałowymi (Strawberry-Lime Preserves with Slivered Almonds), and combine apples with brown butter and cider in Mus jabłkowy z cydrem i palonym masłem (Brown Butter Applesauce with Cider). You can’t easily get such things in a store. They also work beautifully as small gifts. I know, because after I give them away, my friends never stop talking about how delicious they are.