Niagara's Lailey Vineyard. Photo: Monika Bartyzel

• Trekking across the Niagara Region for seasonal comfort food, pies and wines, and traveling through Muskoka for honey, coffee and family farming.
• "Mad Men," their love of cocktails, and a recipe for a Betty Draper-inspired gimlet.
• Sumac's sour, fruit-like flavor makes it a great substitute for a splash of lemon.
• Open's 2008 Riesling-Gewürtztraminer is a fine summer wine, plus the run-down on Beringer's 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon ("a steal") and Prospect's Pinot Noir.
• The porcine pleasures of prosciutto pioneers.
• Recipe: Wild Blueberry Lemon Jam

Peach jam. Photo: FL4Y, Flickr

What treat is nicer on an icy morning than fresh jam? Upon opening it, the eater is greeted with the sunny fragrance of fruit that once hung heavy on its limb or vine. Upon tasting it, memories come alive of the orchard, woodland and garden.

After the jump, an original recipe for a spicy peach jam to slather on autumnal scones, dribble on winter waffles or spread on humble anytime toast. Once you get the hang of canning, it's really simple, so go ahead: Grab a bushel of peaches while they're plentiful, and seal some summer into a jar.

• Leslie Cole admits to a multi-year ambition to can summer produce for winter. This year she's giving up the canning plan for more accessible freezing.
  
• Once of the nice things about canning is that it gives you the opportunity to make things that aren't readily accessible at the store. Try Seckel or Forelle Pears Poached With Madeira and Bay Leaves, Italian Cherry Mostarda and Spicy Green Tomato Jam.
• Chefs and home cooks are swooning over agave nectar. it also makes an excellent sweetener for jam. Here's the recipe for the Agave Berry Jam.
  
• When it comes to canning, make sure that you use the proper safety methods. If you don't, the results could be deadly.
• As you prep your berries for freezing, think about sweetening some so that they're ready to go for pies and sauces.
• Preserve those leafy greens and fresh herbs by turning them into pastes and pestos.

And I guess I should clarify by what I mean by "fat-free foods." I'm not talking about foods that are naturally fat-free, such as celery or water (those are the first two examples that come to mind). I mean foods that usually have a fat version but also have a fat-free version. On to the list (and yes, I'm well aware that fat-free doesn't necessarily mean healthy and can often be higher in sugar).

1. Fat-Free Milk: If you had asked me ten years ago that today I'd be drinking fat-free milk instead of whole milk, I would have thought you were crazy. But I love it, and in fact, can't even drink whole milk anymore. Tastes too thick and heavy for me.

Jam and honey are the new orange - orange marmalade, that is. The slightly sweet preserve is rapidly falling out of fashion in England. It first gained popularity in England in the 17th century, when citrus fruits became common and the preservation technique used for cooking quinces was applied to them. Since that time the spread has only grown in popularity and, for at least the past several decades, could be considered to be a breakfast staple in many homes. In the last year, however, 440,000 households in Britain stopped buying marmalade. Statistics indicate that the reason for the decline may be younger consumers, as most in the under 45 age group consider it to not be sweet enough. 81% of marmalade is eaten by those over 45.

With the decline of marmalade comes the rise of jam and honey, which grow more popular every year, despite reports last year that indicated that jam, too, was falling from favor. Honey is up almost 5%, while jam is up 1.5%.

Retailers and manufacturers alike are now trying to find ways to draw more children to marmalade

When it comes to afternoon coffee or tea, scones are a classic accompaniment. Rather than the heavy and dry creations that so many American coffee shops like to sell to unsuspecting consumers, a real British scone is a bit more like a (US) biscuit, light and somewhat fluffy. They are not particularly sweet, hence the need for jam and cream to be served with them, but they do have a worryingly addictive buttery flavor that will make you reach for a second or third if they are on the small side. These scones were baked up by UK food blogger Jam Faced. They have currants and a bit of orange zest in them, which really provides flavor boost, and they were served with clotted cream and black cherry jam.

Read on for a recipe if you want to try making these at home.

For once, it's nice to see that we have a world record in something that doesn't involve a giant hamburger or someone eating their weight in brats. The British company Duerrs is celebrating their 125th anniversary with the release of world's most expensive marmalade. The special edition preserve is a one-off product, made with Seville oranges, 62-year-old Dalmore whisky, vintage Pol Roger champagne and enough edible gold to give it a tantalizing gleam. It tastes "more tangy than usual and distinctly boozier." The 1 kg of the marmalade has been packed in a crystal jar, specially designed to hold the product and will be auctioned online to benefit the Manchester Kids charity. The estimated value of the product is at least $9,500.

Last month, the worldwide food blogging event Sugar High Friday took it to the extreme with frozen and chilled desserts. This month, host Delicious Days chose the theme of Jams and Jellies, just in time for preserving the fruity (and veggie) goodness of summer's produce. There were almost 60 participants, with recipes, stories, and best of all, photos, of jams and jellies made with everything from apricots to jalapeno peppers. If you're trying to figure out what to do with that basket of late-season peaches you picked up at the farmers' market, take a peek!

Jam does not have to be sweet, though it is most often defined as a preserved mixture of cooked fruit and sugar that is quite sweet. David Lebovitz kept in some of the fruit and sugar elements of a traditional jam, but added some less traditional elements to make his Shallot, Beer, Prune, and Cocoa Nib Jam. It might not be the perfect complement for your morning scone or muffin, but the sweet and savory relish makes a nice hors d'oeuvre spread with cheese and crackers or counterpart to meaty dishes, such as lamb or, as David suggests, foie gras. And even f you don't want it on a scone, it would probably still make a lovely addition to breakfast with eggs and sausage.

Sugar has been villainized by the health-craze and rising carb-consciousness of recent years and, as jams are often half sugar, it might make sense that consumers could be concerned. Of course, jam is hardly a major source of sugar in people's diets, though the fruity spreads often have much more sugar than fruit, very few people are eating jam by the jarful. More than likely, candy and sodas are far exceeding the consumption of sugar from jam, but the preserves industry is taking a hit because it is something people feel they are willing to go without.

The trend is very noticeable in England, where jam or marmalade was served with toast and scones at both breakfast and tea on most days. I am certain that I'm not the only one who has noticed the proliferation of sugar-free "jams" on this side of the Atlantic, too.

I don't want to see jam go the way of other, once beloved, foods. Jam is delicious and far from the worst thing you can eat. Perhaps a campaign to spread awareness is in order.