Pam the Jam: The Book of Preserves

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Using tongs, carefully lift the jars from the water bath and put them on a folded tea towel or wooden surface. Pour the jam into the jars, filling to the brim, and seal immediately. Raspberries are in season from June to October. If you miss the raspberry season, then look out for frozen raspberries; they work just as well and you can use them straight from the freezer." Ideally, this recipe will be made with the pink-tipped, pearly-white very young root ginger - look out for it in specialist Asian stores. But if you can't get hold of any then use the readily available, yellowy-fleshed older root - it's spicier in flavour but still tastes good; just make sure it's not dry and stringy. Add the apples and vinegar, cook for a further 15 minutes, until the apple has completely broken down, then remove from the heat. Turn out the pulp into a large heavy-based pan and add the water, lemon zest and juice, stir to combine.

Break things down into stages. If a recipe suggests leaving ingredients to brine of a couple of hours or more, then do so; salt brining removes the excess water from ingredients that would otherwise dilute the vinegar. Make sure your jars and lids are sparkling clean and to fill your jars to the brim. And enjoy! The salt draws out the excess moisture from the vegetables, which will help to keep them crisp, intensify their flavour and improve their preservation by preventing the excess water diluting the vinegar. The inquest heard that Miss Corbin had been suffering from depression and had been prescribed anti-depressant drugs.

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Leave the courgettes for at least 2 hours (and up to 4) for the salt to draw out as much moisture as possible. Rinse with cold water, then drain and dry well with kitchen paper. This is one of my favourite sorbets. Roasting the plums first intensifies both flavour and colour in a delightful way. Serve in its unadorned glory, with little shortbread biscuits or, for a spectacularly indulgent treat, warm chocolate brownies. Serves six to eight.

Pectin, naturally found in fruit is vital to make your jam set. With low-pectin fruits like strawberries, help them along by either mixing with pectin-rich fruit like gooseberries or by using jam sugar (with added pectin and citric acid). Of course, we love plums in sweet things, but their acidity works well in savoury dishes, too. Traditionally, either in their fresh or dried, pruney state, they've been made into stuffings for goose, pork or other fatty meats. But they are great in lighter dishes, adding a bit of sweet tanginess to salsas (see today's recipe) and juicy vitality to salads. Try sliced gages or plums with prosciutto and some blue cheese, or arranged on a plate with roasted beetroots lightly dressed with vinaigrette and some soft goat's cheese crumbled over the top. Roast plum sorbet

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Blitz a quarter of the tomatoes to a smooth purée in a food processor with the chillies, garlic and ginger. Place in a large heavy-based pan or preserving pan. Pulse the rest of the tomatoes several times in the food processor to roughly chop them up and add to the pan with the vinegars and the lime or lemon zest and juice. From start to finish the recipe will take less than half an hour to make, and the marmalade has a delightfully fresh Seville flavour to boot. This is Pam Corbin's (or "Pam the Jam" as we call her around these parts) recipe for plum chutney, and the perfect way to preserve some of the summer glut into the winter. It's delicious with cold meats. Makes 10-11 340g jars. Store in a cool place for up to four weeks. Once opened keep in the fridge and eat within three to four weeks.

Anyway, this week I'm plumping for plumptious plums… and next week's column will be totally peachy. Sterilise your jars and twist-on lids. Put the raspberries in a large heavy-based pan or preserving pan. Lightly sprinkle in the sugar, a third at a time, gently shaking the pan so the sugar is well distributed. Cover and leave for an hour or so for the juices to draw out.Put the figs and dates (and the apricots, if using), ginger, mustard seeds, sugar, salt and vinegar in a non-metallic bowl, mixing well to combine. You can eat this right away, but it really does get better if left for three to four weeks, or more, by which time the chutney will have a good texture and the flavour will be full and rounded. Folding the juice and zest into a bath of sugar and butter, drizzled with honey and melted over a bain-marie, everything was quite wholesome and going to plan... Pour the jelly into the jars, filling to the brim, and seal immediately. Invert the jars for a minute or so, to ensure the lids are sterilised, then turn the right way up and leave to cool.