Making your own jam from a bumper crop of apricots, plums or peaches is an easy way to control the amount and type of sweetener in your preserves. It's also a perfect gift in winter. You can freeze the fruit now and make it at your leisure in winter, or clear some cupboard space and turn it into a summer canning project.
To make a traditional jam, mix the fruit with sugar and bring the mixture to a boil. Let it cook for a minute, then add some liquid pectin, to cause the fruit to set and gel. If the jam seems a tad too sweet, add some lemon juice. (Cranberries, which are high in pectin, don't need any added.)
(Broadcast: "The Food Guys," 8/9/15 and 8/13/15. Listen weekly on the radio at 11:50 a.m. Sundays and again at 4:54 p.m. Thursdays, or via podcast.)