Preserving was one of many enjoyable rituals I shared with my mother. That made me an inveterate sweet tooth. Good jams and jellies remind me of her. She happily passed on her canning experience and encouraged me to try new recipes. There is no better time than summer fruit season to evoke happy memories and pass along the experience to someone else. Who else but you, friendly reader?

Recently with our friend, Lori, we brought home a trunk load of fruit from St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market. My first objective was to make freezer jam. Mom always put away lots of no-cook freezer strawberry jam, the basic recipe that came with original Certo. I could not justify using all that sugar, so cut back considerably using a newer pectin product for freezer jams. It tastes just fine, and Mom would surely approve. We know better now.

Our favourite sandwich was cheese and jam. The kids at school made fun of it; they did not know what they were missing. This was invariably freezer strawberry jam with Kraft cheese slices. Yum! These were the real cheese slices, not the rubbery, plastic-wrapped singles that contain no actual cheese.

Since then I have realized cheese and fruit were meant for each other. The cheese and jam sandwich becomes a formula with infinite possibilities: brie and apricot, cheddar and apple jelly, ginger-peach and havarti.

Enter experimental jams. In particular I have in mind using some herbs from the garden this summer. With the berries left over from freezer jam I decided to cook a concoction with two of my favourites: lemon balm and lemon verbena. This turned out a delightful thick, ruby-red jam with citrus highlights. It looks and tastes so good on Sandra’s corn cakes from Fourfold Farm, I forgot to add cheese.

The recipe follows. Have you found any great fruit and herb combinations for preserves?