Preserving is seasonal, which is why I make jam when I can.

This first fruit of the year is the berries, peaches, and plums, which means making jam, breaking out the Vacola and lots and lots of my hot plum sauce.

Each year I grow from seed upwards of 100 tomato plants, all different shapes, sizes, and colours, along with zucchinis and cucumbers. The fresh young green fruit makes relishes, followed closely by the long-cooked chutneys and sauces.

Most years, you will unlikely find a 'normal' red tomato in my patch, which has led me to develop Sweet Black Tomato Chutney.

As I approach the end of autumn, quinces appear from the neighbours—many, many quinces. Jelly and paste are made to serve with cheese or pickled to go with dinner.

The cooler months produce citrus – lemons, oranges, limes, and cumquats.

Marmalades and butter curd emerge from the kitchen, and brandy-soaked fruit for a little tipple later.

If I've planted correctly, this is followed by the brassicas, meaning buckets of sauerkraut and kimchi can be found on the kitchen bench.

The start of spring identifies the beginning of the kitchen garden lifecycle, with the elderflower the first to bloom.

By now in the year, I am looking forward to planting next year's seeds, watching and waiting for the kitchen garden lifecycle to begin again for the year.

If you want to learn about my kitchen garden lifecycle and make your own preserve, join me for one of these seasonal preserves-making cooking classes.

The seasonal class can only be offered as a private class for groups of four to eight guests when seasonal fruit and vegetables are abundant in the Jacican kitchen garden. For more information on arranging a private class, don't hesitate to contact Jacican.