Darina Allen: White peach and raspberry jam

FOR gardeners who grow vegetables and fruit, this is the time of abundance, a period of joy and frustration in equal measure. At last the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of all that digging and hoeing but often there are not enough meal times to use up every last scrap. 

I feel horribly guilty if any gets wasted, although inevitably despite my best efforts some of the produce goes over the top. It cheers me up to know that at least it ends up on the compost heap and eventually goes back on to the earth to make the soil even more fertile for next year’s crops.

I keep adding to my store of preserving recipes — jams, pickles, chutneys, jellies, cordials, alcohols, flavoured vinegars and fruit cheeses.