"jam" news and stories

If it were anyone else's the hair in your food, it would be a health code violation, but when it belongs to a dead princess, suddenly it's art.

For the summer exhibition of surrealist art at the Barbican Art Gallery, renowned London jellymongers Bompas & Parr have created a trio of "occult jams," one of which claims as its not-so-secret ingredient a minuscule snippet of the late Princess Diana's hair.

"Milk Jam infused with a speck of Princess Diana's hair" is (clearly) the most headline-worthy of the three. The other two are "Absinthe and pineapple with sand from the Great Pyramids" and "Plum and Oak with wood from Nelson's ship The Victory."

The jams retail for the equivalent of a mere $7.60 a jar, sold at the Barbican's gallery shop, so it seems just as likely that the Diana jam will end up in a summer flan as it will under glass at a museum somewhere. (The milk jam reportedly tastes like condensed milk.)

More after the jump...

Photo: Gibbs Smith

'Putting Up: A Seasonal Guide to Canning in the Southern Tradition'
by Stephen Palmer Dowdney
Gibbs Smith -- 2008
Buy it on Amazon

You know how your friend's cousin's boyfriend's grandma, like, totally killed a neighbor by innocently giving her a batch of her home-canned beans that oops, turned out to have a touch of the botulism? That's never going to happen to you. Not on Steve Dowdney's watch.

This can-vangelist has culled years of his own know-how, as well as the collective wisdom of generations of Southern cooks, into a rigorous, nigh-on religious canning primer. The recipes are solid -- almost a shade clinical -- but the opening chapter, packed with equipment tips, altitude and pH charts, preparation terms and step-by-step best practices, could be a stand-alone manual, not to mention the only one you'd ever need to buy.

See what we tested and find out whether the book's worth buying after the jump.

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

Cinnamon-fig jam. Photo: eatingoutloud, flickr.

As summer dwindles to a balmy finish, leaving many of us eagerly anticipating the prospect of jacket-worthy weather, there isn't a better time to consider the not-so-distant future, in which we'll be lamenting the lack of luscious summer fruits.

Those who think ahead may be able to savor the best of both seasons by jarring summer in a delicious jam. An endeavor that turns out to be deceptively easy -- requiring namely the boiling of fruit and sugar combined -- and inexpensive, it's also a remarkably flexible one, open to tastes and preferences. Stick with simple fruits, pairing berries of similar varieties together, or get bold, marrying fresh summer fruits with audacious autumnal flavors and herbs, ranging from cinnamon to rosemary, basil to thyme.

For inspiration, see our own Eric Deisel's peach jam, Eating Out Loud's cinnamon-fig jam (pictured), trusty Martha's sweet-savory peach-rosemary jam, the Washington Post's tart rhubarb-ginger jam, or the endlessly creative "White on Rice" Couple's variety of tomato-based concoctions, particularly their tomato-and-thyme number.

Become a member of the Slashfood Flickr pool to get a shot at having your photos featured in Feast Your Eyes.

Peach jam. Photo: FL4Y, Flickr

As you've read here, home canning, once an expected part of a homemaker's vocabulary of skills, is experiencing a resurgence. The revival is partly due to economics: According to Martin Franklin, chairman of the Jarden Corporation (home of the Ball jar), home preserving experiences a spike in popularity during lean times.

It's also got something to do with the pleasures of canning your own food. Selecting and preparing the ingredients, gathering supplies and getting them ready and mustering the necessary focus is rewarded with several jars of something gorgeous, nutritious and tasty that will amplify a meal in the cold months.

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.