Most fruits and vegetables can be used for preserving, and what better and more satisfying way to use up home-grown or local produce than to puree, pickle, bottle or salt it and consume it throughout the year! There are several different methods of preserving fruits and vegetables and all give delicious results. Jams, jellies, fruit butters and curds, bottled fruits, chutneys, pickles and salted vegetables are all practical and economical ways to preserve seasonal produce. And you don't need a load of kitchen gadgets and equipment to get started: a heavy-based pan, a funnel, a sugar thermometer and a selection of glass storage jars are all you need.

Carol Wilson is a food writer, cookery consultant and member of the Guild of Food Writers. She writes for a number of food publications both in the UK and the US and has written several cookbooks as well as appeared on TV cookery programmes.