Not to be a bore but we are mid-way through summer, pretty much as of today. I know some folks aren't as big of fans of laborious time sucking home projects as I am, but making jam is so gratifying. I usually make up a few smaller jars to give away to visiting friends, and people are STOKED. That's worth it in and of itself.
Processing a few pounds of fruit has been a dream for me since I've been out of the restaurant, where we never did batches under 10#. The cleaning/pitting/chopping loses its charm pretty quickly after the fifth basket of strawberries. It is prime time right NOW for jamming, since you can go buck wild and really have fun - strawberry jam for days, last of the apricots with vanilla, plum cardamom, almost time for rhubarb citrus...the list goes on. See here for a few of my favorite summer jam recipes.
apricot and strawberry waiting patiently for their jars
Note my strange method that sets these jams apart. I don't use pectin. Instead, after macerating the fruit in sugar for awhile, then cooking for a few minutes, I strain out the juices and reduce them on their own, adding the fruit back into the pot towards the end. This results in eye popping color and fresher fruit. It is far from a jelly-like consistency, but hey, that kinda freaks me out, so I will take it a little runny and more natural, thanks.
the start of rhubarb and citrus jam...a spoon stirred into yogurt is filthy good.