I love the fresh fruit of summer. This summer's locally grown fruit is just starting to appear at local farmers' markets. 
Right now, it's mostly locally Washington grown cherries and strawberries, but soon, peaches, and then the many sorts of berries Washington grows in abundance. I'll put lot of the berries and freezer bags and freeze them, but I'm also a fan of freezer jam. Unlike conventional heat-processed jam, freezer jam is cooked just enough to melt the sugar and activate the powdered pectin, which "jells" the fruit and juice, but then you put it in containers and keep it in the freezer until you're ready to eat it. It keeps about a year in the freezer, and about three weeks in the fridge, if you can wait that long to eat it. Read more
