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Jams, Jellies + Fruit Butters

Homemade jams, jellies, and fruit butters are one of the sweetest ways to preserve seasonal fruit. In this section you'll find tested recipes and step-by-step guides for making spreads like classic berry jams, fruit jellies, slow-cooked fruit butters, and other small-batch preserves.

These recipes focus on simple ingredients and reliable methods so you can confidently turn fresh fruit into shelf-stable pantry staples. From summer berries to fall apples and pears, these preserves capture the flavor of the season and make it easy to enjoy it all year long.

  • Homemade apple butter in a glass jar with a spoon, surrounded by fresh apples and canning jars on a rustic wooden table.
    Easy Apple Butter Recipe for Canning (Stovetop, Crockpot, Instant Pot)
  • Homemade apple pie jam in canning jars with fresh apples, cinnamon sticks, and warm spices on the counter.
    Apple Pie Jam (Easy Canning Recipe for Fall)
  • Glass jar filled with homemade Christmas jam made from cranberries, strawberries, and oranges, surrounded by fresh fruit and a cinnamon stick on a dark rustic surface.
    Homemade Christmas Jam Recipe (Cranberry, Strawberry & Orange)
  • A spoonful of deep purple bourbon vanilla blackberry jam dripping into a glass mason jar, with fresh lemon slices and blackberries in the foreground
    No-Pectin Blackberry Jam with Bourbon and Vanilla (Small Batch Canning Recipe)
  • Close-up of homemade vanilla bourbon peach butter in a glass jar with a spoon on top, perfect for canning or spreading on toast.
    Vanilla Bourbon Peach Butter (Easy Recipe for Canning or Freezing)
  • A close-up of a jar filled with silky, golden lemon curd, with a wooden spoon resting on top, dripping with the rich, smooth curd. A second jar, fresh lemons, and eggs blur softly in the background, creating a warm, moody, and inviting kitchen scene.
    Perfect Homemade Lemon Curd Recipe for Easy Canning
  • A rustic glass jar filled with homemade strawberry preserves, sweetened with honey and infused with vanilla. A black spoon rests in the jam, surrounded by jars of honey and sliced strawberries on a dark wooden surface with moody, warm lighting.
    Strawberry Preserves with Honey + Vanilla
  • Homemade vanilla cardamom pear butter in glass jars with fresh pears, vanilla beans, and lemon slices on a rustic wooden counter.
    Vanilla Cardamom Pear Butter (Easy, No-Pectin Canning Recipe)
  • Jars of homemade cranberry sauce ready for canning with fresh cranberries, cloves, and cinnamon on the counter.
    Canning Cranberry Sauce (Jellied or Whole Berry)
  • Ladling homemade peach bourbon jelly into a glass Weck jar with fresh peaches and bourbon in the background.
    Homemade Peach Jelly (for Canning or Freezer)
  • Close-up of homemade raspberry jam in glass jars with fresh raspberries and a halved lime on a dark linen background.
    Homemade Raspberry Jam: A Simple, No-Pectin Recipe
  • Blueberry jelly in jars surrounded by fresh blueberries
    Blueberry Jelly That Tastes Like Summer (Easy, Low Sugar & Canning Safe)
  • Jars of low sugar strawberry jam on a counter surrounded by fresh strawberries
    Low-Sugar Strawberry Jam (That Actually Tastes Like Summer • No Pectin Needed)
  • Jars or orange marmalade on a counter with fresh oranges
    Sweet Homemade Orange Marmalade Recipe
  • Canning Pepper Jelly
  • Jars of fresh apricot preserves on a counter surrounded by ripe apricots.
    Brandied Apricot Preserves
  • Jars of cranberry jam on a counter with fresh cranberries.
    Easy Spiced Cranberry Jam for Canning
  • Jars of wine jelly on a counter surrounded by wine corks.
    Easy Four Ingredient Wine Jelly Recipe

About

Elle McCoy, author of The Rustic Elk, with long wavy hair reflected in an ornate vintage mirror, sitting at a candlelit vanity with makeup brushes, perfume, and dried flowers.

Hi, I'm Elle.

I'm a storyteller, photographer, and home cook who believes the best memories are often made around the table.

Here you'll find seasonal recipes, wild game, garden harvests, preserving traditions, and stories gathered along the way. Because good food is about more than what we eat. It's about the places we've been, the people we've gathered around our tables, and the moments that linger long after the plates are cleared.


→ Meet Elle

Currently...

📖 Reading: The Witch by Freida McFadden
🎵 Listening: Of Witches & Wretched Things
Savoring: Apple butter whiskey sours & the last little bit of October magic. 🍂
🌿 Growing: Herbs on the windowsill and chrysanthemums on the stoop
🗺️ Planning: Cozy autumn days, a little kitchen magic & surviving the semester
📺Watching: Working my way through the Friday the 13th films after binging Camp Crystal Lake.

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Recently...

  • Homemade canned peach pie filling in Ball mason jars made with fresh peaches, Clear Jel, cinnamon, and vanilla using a safe water bath canning recipe.
    Canning Peach Pie Filling
  • Wooden pantry shelves filled with homemade canned tomatoes, green beans, jams, and preserves in mason jars.
    The Ultimate Guide to Home Canning & Preserving

Recent Favorites

  • Slewfoot by Brom
  • Maeve Fly by CJ Leede
  • We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
  • The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager

Listen with Me

☾
“By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.”
— William Shakespeare, Macbeth

Found Along the Way

A good paring knife doesn't ask for much attention, but it earns its place every single day. From peeling peaches to hulling strawberries and slicing garlic, it's the one tool I reach for without thinking.

Find it Here ->

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