Last week with two excellent lady friends, we made some very delicious preserves. These included:- Strawberry & black pepper jam
- Peach, capsicum, chilli & sage relish
- Vanilla sugar
- Caramelised onions
The process involved lots of chopping, very big pots, lots of waiting, freaky sterilisation procedure, a fair amount of wine, and of course some Sex & the City: Season 2.
Basically there is little more technique to preserve-making than chopping everything up, lumping it in a pot with some sugar (jam) or vinegar (relish), and waiting for it to boil down to a suitable consistency. We couldn't be bothered waiting more than an hour or two, so canned (jarred) the jam and relish while still fairly liquid. This is a preferable consistency anyway as it makes for good spreading, and means that you can use jam as a thick coulis or sauce if you prefer. Important factors include having a very large pot so the fruit doesn't burn, and making sure your sterilising and sealing technique is trustworthy. I like to pour boiling hot jam into a boiling hot jar and whack the boiling hot lid on while it is still fizzing and bubbling. Others believe this is an overly neurotic approach. If I could be bothered, I also would have sealed with wax once the jars cooled.
I think for gifts I will buy some deep square boxes, pack them out with that decorative straw-like stuff, put onions & relish on the bottom and jam and sugar on the top so the red & white jars peek out. Christmassy!
Also: strawberries with black pepper are very very very delicious. Next time you have fresh strawberries, grind a little fresh pepper on top - totally brings out the strawberry flavour and makes your tastebuds tingle all over! Delicious.
Ella will update later with photographs & further thoughts
Many kilos of peaches go on the boil. 
Strawberries bubbling away. With the exception of half a cup of lemon juice, all that liquid came out of the berries themselves.
Clockwise from back - strawberry and black pepper jam, peach, capsicum and sage relish, caramelised onions.
Relish going into jars.
Lots of relish ready for lids.
Pretty jars all in a row.