Preserves are quite similar to jam though the fruit pieces might be whole or quite large, cooked down to a soft, squishy texture and can have additives like herbs and spices in addition to water and sugar. I often add a scraped vanilla bean to my strawberry and raspberry preserves, also to my mixed berry preserves. My peach preserve often has rosemary to add a hint of flavour, while mango preserve more often than never will see a touch of ginger. I recently made a plum preserve that was quite spicy and sweet at the same time with onions, garlic, brown sugar, then the kick of ginger, cayenne pepper, hints of cinnamon, a smidgeon of garam masala. My preserves always have fresh lime juice added in the end to balance the flavours. Preserves go quite well with cheese, cold cuts, with meats etc, also very nice in a sandwich.For those like me who love savoury preserves, perhaps this Slow Roasted Tomato Preserve or Ottolenghi's Preserved Limes, else this drop dead delicious Caramelised Onion & Garlic Jam might tempt you.

Marmalades are citrus based preserves usually made with 3 ingredients - snipped fruit with all the fruit juices, sugar and water. The pectin usually comes from the seeds of the citrus fruit which are added in a little bouquet garni sort of pouch and discarded after the setting point has been reached. The end result is always a beautiful translucent, soft jelly like preserve with bits of the peel suspended through the jar. The marmalade I most often make is from the bitter kumquats/calamondins/ tiny oranges that grow at home and are in season 3-4 times a year. I use my bitter kumquat marmalade in cake layers, tarts, to make a jelly, glass desserts, pastry, parfaits, sometimes to flavour granola, melted and drizzled over ice cream etc. I gift a ton of jars too because they make a really nice gift! I seldom add anything to my marmalade though I do remember adding a slit fresh red chili a couple of times as this gives the marmalade a really nice chili kick, the subtle heat undertones adding interesting dimension.

Compote is made with either whole fruits and fruit chunks and is simmered for a shorted while, ending up with a more syrupy end result that is often more like stewed fruit to be used soon rather than being bottled for preservation. It uses less sugar as compared to a jam or preserve and is more like fruit cooked in syrup with or without additional herbs, spices etc. like the Blueberry compote above. The fruit largely holds its shape and you cannot store it for very long, perhaps a few days at best.

Last but not the least, What is a CONSERVE

A conserve is a combination of fruit, fresh and dried, often with nuts added for texture. They are cooked with sugar as the others above are and are a great accompaniment on a cheese board or served with meats, cold cuts etc. I don't recall ever making a conserve though I have a recipe bookmarked in a really old cookbook where only dried fruits and nuts are used along with fresh orange juice and sugar of course.

Delicious Strawberry Orange Vanilla Preserve ... so addictive and so worth it!

Q: What is the difference between jam, preserve, conserve, marmalade, compote etc.First up, What is a JAM?

Jams are what we grew up with a jar in every home, always at the breakfast table. Jam is often chopped, crushed or mashed fruit cooked down with water and sugar until it reaches a setting point. Homemade jams normally use the natural pectic present in food and are often served at breakfast with toast, croissants, bread etc. I've made apple jam, peach rosemary jam, strawberry jam, apricot jam, and mango jam over the years. It's the best way to use the surplus fruit in season and I think the fruit should be at least 45% of the measurement by law . You can however control the fruit to sugar proportion, though sugar is the preservative here mostly. I store mine in the fridge always since I don't know how to bottle correctly. I'm always scared of mold so I choose the safer path.

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Strawberry Orange Vanilla Preserve… when life gives you strawberries, make preserve, loads of preserve. It’s honestly the best thing ever and probably the best way to make the most of the seasons surplus berry produce. Layer it over Greek yogurt for an almost too good to be true breakfast parfait or equally a quick almost guilt free dessert, spoon it over ice cream or pancakes, add it to a quick layered trifle, stir it into whipped cream … you get the drift.

I make several jars of this Strawberry Orange Vanilla Preserve every strawberry season and when I get to the last one, I always always wish I had made double the quantity. Of course it has sugar as do almost all jams, compotes, preserves and conserves, of course it’s not the healthiest treat if you’re on a sugar free or low sugar diet, however it’s home made, you know what goes into it. It’s way better than store bought stuff with preservatives, it’s not UPF {ultra processed food}, it doesn’t have unnecessary emulsifiers, thickeners, additives, stabilisers and what not. Just a clean, indulgent, home made label. And of course, it’s made with love like all my desserts, not in the least the strawberry desserts!!

Eggless Strawberry Desserts from scratch, homemade

Strawberry season is one of my most eagerly awaited seasons, the other being mango of course. There’s just something so special, so charming about these juicy, red berries, so many ways to enjoy them. There’s something about the colour red in nature, be it ruby red strawberries, tomatoes, red chilies or red chili powder, or even the gorgeous railway creeper. Red just catches your eye, gladdens the spirit! I absolutely love styling & shooting it…

And as soon of the deepest red strawberries begin to show up, my first go to is always dessert and that burst of the colour red is definitely very inspiring. As you can see, infinite possibilities, berry berry much fun, and so much deliciousness!

Terry's Orange Inspired Strawberry Chocolate Eggless Cake

Once the season is in full swing, the market sees a glut of this beautiful fruit and with them available at such economical prices per punnet, I begin to dice and freeze bags full of the seasons best strawberries to see me through months of smoothies. This year, I’ve upped my game and made several jars of this addictive good Strawberry Orange Vanilla Preserve, and I absolutely love the process. Actually preservation of any seasonal fruit is right up my street!

I’ve been making Bitter Kumquat/Tangerine/Calamondin Marmalade picking fruit from my little trees for over a decade, and it’s always a fascinating and fulfilling experience. Adding Strawberry Orange Vanilla Preserve to my pantry in addition is the best thing ever! When I began making jams or preserves, marmalade, compotes and sometimes conserves, it was always ‘what should I call this?’, What is the difference between jam, preserve, conserve, marmalade, compote etc.

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- Strawberry Orange Vanilla Preserve
What is the difference between jam, preserve, conserve, marmalade, compote etc.
First up, What is a JAM?
Jams are what we grew up with a jar in every home, always at the breakfast table. Jam is often chopped, crushed or mashed fruit cooked down with water and sugar until it reaches a setting point. Homemade jams normally use the natural pectic present in food and are often served at breakfast with toast, croissants, bread etc. I’ve made apple jam, peach rosemary jam, strawberry jam, apricot jam, and mango jam over the years. It’s the best way to use the surplus fruit in season and I think the fruit should be at least 45% of the measurement by law . You can however control the fruit to sugar proportion, though sugar is the preservative here mostly. I store mine in the fridge always since I don’t know how to bottle correctly. I’m always scared of mold so I choose the safer path.
What is a PRESERVE?
Preserves are quite similar to jam though the fruit pieces might be whole or quite large, cooked down to a soft, squishy texture and can have additives like herbs and spices in addition to water and sugar. I often add a scraped vanilla bean to my strawberry and raspberry preserves, also to my mixed berry preserves. My peach preserve often has rosemary to add a hint of flavour, while mango preserve more often than never will see a touch of ginger. I recently made a plum preserve that was quite spicy and sweet at the same time with onions, garlic, brown sugar, then the kick of ginger, cayenne pepper, hints of cinnamon, a smidgeon of garam masala. My preserves always have fresh lime juice added in the end to balance the flavours. Preserves go quite well with cheese, cold cuts, with meats etc, also very nice in a sandwich.
For those like me who love savoury preserves, perhaps this Slow Roasted Tomato Preserve or Ottolenghi’s Preserved Limes, else this drop dead delicious Caramelised Onion & Garlic Jam might tempt you.
What is a MARMALADE
Marmalades are citrus based preserves usually made with 3 ingredients – snipped fruit with all the fruit juices, sugar and water. The pectin usually comes from the seeds of the citrus fruit which are added in a little bouquet garni sort of pouch and discarded after the setting point has been reached. The end result is always a beautiful translucent, soft jelly like preserve with bits of the peel suspended through the jar. The marmalade I most often make is from the bitter kumquats/calamondins/ tiny oranges that grow at home and are in season 3-4 times a year. I use my bitter kumquat marmalade in cake layers, tarts, to make a jelly, glass desserts, pastry, parfaits, sometimes to flavour granola, melted and drizzled over ice cream etc. I gift a ton of jars too because they make a really nice gift! I seldom add anything to my marmalade though I do remember adding a slit fresh red chili a couple of times as this gives the marmalade a really nice chili kick, the subtle heat undertones adding interesting dimension.
What is a COMPOTE
Compote is made with either whole fruits and fruit chunks and is simmered for a shorted while, ending up with a more syrupy end result that is often more like stewed fruit to be used soon rather than being bottled for preservation. It uses less sugar as compared to a jam or preserve and is more like fruit cooked in syrup with or without additional herbs, spices etc. like the Blueberry compote above. The fruit largely holds its shape and you cannot store it for very long, perhaps a few days at best.
Last but not the least, What is a CONSERVE
A conserve is a combination of fruit, fresh and dried, often with nuts added for texture. They are cooked with sugar as the others above are and are a great accompaniment on a cheese board or served with meats, cold cuts etc. I don’t recall ever making a conserve though I have a recipe bookmarked in a really old cookbook where only dried fruits and nuts are used along with fresh orange juice and sugar of course.

Strawberry Vanilla Orange Preserve, the making of it

Now with granola and Greek yogurt being quite centre stage to breakfast for a while now, I find it quite handy to have a jar of homemade preserve in the fridge to quickly throw together a parfait. It takes less that 5 minutes. Greek yogurt, preserve, granola, repeat, done! And I also have a new favourite granola, my peanut butter granola that I’ve been making on repeat these past few months. Still to share that recipe …

I’m a diehard peanut butter fan, and can’t get enough of it. I always have a couple of jars on hand. A sudden dash of hunger, a spoon of peanut butter is all it takes to calm me. There is this Vegan Chickpea Chocolate Chip Mug Cake which has become a breakfast staple through cooler months and makes for a very tasty dessert too.

Morning protein spoonful, an add to a curry or salad dressing, a last minute whipped PB mousse, PB cheesecake, PB cookies, PB energy balls, PB breakfast bars, snickers tart …and the list goes on and on. I very recently experimented with a PB granola and was a little skeptical. But oh my, how wrong I was. I have been making PB Granola on repeat the last few months and it’s the best thing that ever happened to my granola.

I make my granola as gut friendly as I possibly can, adding loads of plant foods to it. I think there’s nothing I enjoy more than playing around and experimenting with recipes. My latest batch of granola has rolled oats as the base of course and then – peanut butter, ghee or olive oil, honey or maple syrup, pistachios, walnuts, cashews, almonds, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, buckwheat groats, chia seeds, hemp hearts, flax seeds, orange zest, cinnamon powder, Celtic sea salt. With so much deliciousness going in, you can well imagine how good it tastes and how gut friendly it is!

Strawberry Vanilla Orange Preserve with PB Granola

Every morning is looked forward to, every morning is bursting with flavour, every morning feels indulgent and we are always grateful to have been blessed with plenty. Also so fortunate to be able to make everything from scratch. It’s such a good feeling, so fulfilling! And the preserve fights alongside the PB granola for the star. Both are equally good, just making the preserve is more seasonal while granola has ingredients available the year round.

I make a large batch of the Strawberry Orange Vanilla Preserve and transfer them into recycled jam/honey, nut butter glass jars, keep one in the fridge and place the rest in the freezer. I return a jar from the freezer to the fridge when required, leave it overnight to defrost. This is a great way to use the surplus produce during season.

Have you tried pairing strawberries with oranges? An aunt in the UK used to add fresh orange juice to the juiciest red strawberries during the Wimbledon when we visited decades ago and that memory comes alive every time I see strawberries. I absolutely love adding orange zest to everything I make while the orange season lasts. Here in winter and spring in India orange season overlaps with strawberry season. Have you tried adding orange zest to fresh strawberries and leaving them to macerate with a little sugar for 5-7 minutes? Do try! It adds the best flavour ever and I do that often in layered desserts like the one below, a Strawberry Cream Walnut Dessert Glass, and the berries just shone!

I’ve made a similar mixed berry preserve with a bag of frozen mixed berries – blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries, and very recently, a plum, orange, vanilla spice version. It’s just too much fun and so rewarding! Hopefully you’ll enjoy making this Strawberry Vanilla Orange Preserve as much as I did!

Strawberry Recipes

Berry Recipes

Orange Recipes

Strawberry Orange Vanilla Preserve

A simply delicious 5 ingredient recipe, 6 if you count water. It's honesty the best thing ever and a beautiful way to make the most of the seasons surplus produce. Layer it over Greek yogurt for an almost too good to be true breakfast parfait or for a quick almost guilt free dessert, spoon it over ice cream or pancakes, add it to a quick layered trifle, stir it into whipped cream.

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Course Breakfast

Cuisine British

Equipment

1 heavy bottom saucepan large
1 spatula
1 chopping board
1 Knife
1 microplane zester
2-3 recycled jars

Ingredients

800 g strawberry diced
Zest of 2 oranges
1 vanilla bean shell
1/8 cup water
250-300 g raw sugar / desi khaand
Juice of 1 lime

Instructions

Place the diced strawberries, orange zest, vanilla bean shell, sugar and a pinch of sea salt in a large heavy bottom pan. I like to leave this covered in the fridge overnight to draw as much gentle flavour out as possible and softening the fruit in the process. You could leave it for a couple of hours on the counter, else begin immediately.
Simmer over low heat until it comes to a simmering boil, stir on and off so the liquid doesn't boil over. You'll need to keep an eye on it initially.
Cook until the mixture is as thick as desired, mashing the berries with the back of a spoon along the way. Taste and adjust sweetness if required.
Take off heat and add the lime juice. This really brightens the colour and adds freshness.
Fill into sterilized jars, cool, then refrigerate.