Damson jam is indeed a fine thing. Unfortunately, nobody grows damsons in southwestern Ontario. At least, no one who's willing to bring them to market in Stratford.

I'm knocking off preserving until I can get my hands on some new crop Cortland apples, Flemish Beauty pears and Italian plums (the kind for drying into prunes) to make my justly famous Five-Fruit Chutney. (The other two fruits are Roma tomatoes and zanthe currants.) It's the best damned chutney I've ever eaten, bar none, and by George I have the recipe!

When the plums finally hit the market, I hope I will have sourced some more quarter-litre Mason jars. They're rare as hen's teeth this year.