With the arrival of summer, our family always looks forward to making the most of fruit preservation by making jam. Summer heralds apricots: a popular choice of the ‘Moor Park’ variety of apricot tree is grown in many Victorian suburban gardens. My sister collected 4 Kg from her neighbour’s garden that was gratefully turned into jam made by husband, Jan.

Next was a visit to the Dandenongs, hills famous for its summer berries and cherries, to purchase some freshly picked strawberries.

Don’t these ruby-coloured fruity globes look delectable?

Recipe? Go for a 1:1 ratio of berries to sugar (1Kg berries 1 Kg sugar). As strawberries are low in pectin, add some lemon juice to aid setting.

Resist reducing the quantity of sugar as the sugar acts as a preservative and retains keeping qualities (1 -2 years) and prevents mould. Ensure you sterilise jam jars and lids by heating in a 100 degree Celsius oven for 20-30 minutes.

Remove scum from the cooking jam as crystallisation also encourages mould and a displeasing appearance.

Chill a saucer in the freezer to test the setting of the jam. The jam should coat the back of a spoon, have a slightly wrinkled appearance and leave a ‘valley’ when you run your finger through the jam.