Jackie Anderson making jam. - Nelvin C. Cepeda / Union-Tribune
Learning the lingo
What's the difference between jelly and jam? Marmalade and preserves? Here are some basics:
Jelly is made from fruit juice, along with sugar and sometimes pectin.
Jam is a thick puree of fruit and sugar.
Preserves take it a step further with large chunks of fruit or whole fruit.
A conserve usually contains more than one kind of fruit and maybe even nuts.
Marmalade is like a preserve, only it also has fruit rind, usually from citrus.
Fruit spreads are usually made with fruit-juice concentrates or low-calorie sweeteners.
Fruit butters are spreads made by cooking fresh fruit with spices until thick and smooth.
That's not the limit, though. Ardent jam-makers love to add fresh herbs, edible flowers, spices and liqueurs to their creations.