Give the gift of a sweet winter

Sometimes the sun really shines in the winter and when it does and I have a warm scone at my fingertips, I see the crown that fruit preserves set upon food. Another jam maker in Seattle, Deluxe Foods, likens some of their preserves to jewels. I love this. Fruit and sugar behind glass can so easily become just another jar of jam. Maybe your mother made jam as you grew up or you have a friend that gifts jam every year and it ends up pushed to the nether regions of your kitchen shelves alongside condensed milk and an open package of nori. The idea of jams as edible jewels is precious for something gustatory like jam-eating, but it still captures how I think of preserves as functional, shiny treasure amongst the canned beans and cereal boxes.

This is a long-winded intro/plug for my winter preserve subscription! The subscription starts after the holidays when winter settles. The preserves offer a celebration of the season with lots of citrus, pear, apples, quince, etc., but also a respite with jars of plums from summer and the promise of escape and warmth given by sweetness. Like the summer honey preserves subscription, this is for friends and family and I think it would make a great gift for your friends and family who love food and who dig the idea of supporting a fledgling local food venture. All the details for the winter honey preserves subscription can be found here.