Pickle & Preserve

Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 3 hr (plus 1 day for flavors to develop)

With a hint of smoky chipotle chile, this relish is a delicious departure from the usual cranberry sauce.

A delicious spread that would be perfectly at home with hot tea and warm scones on a winter's day.

Here is an old southern favorite that is delicious as a condiment or great added to tuna, chicken and shrimp salads. Begin preparing the pickles at least three days before you plan to serve them.

Though you have to plan ahead, processing these pickles is worth the effort — we found the heat cooks the okra just a bit and helps them absorb the brine.

This dish is also known as Texas caviar.

This chutney is well worth the 1-month wait it takes for the spices to mellow. Try it with grilled shrimp or fish, or on grilled chicken or cheese sandwiches. Active time: 2 hr Start to finish: 31/2 hr (plus 1 month for flavors to develop)

Apples did so well in the colonies that they were exported to the West Indies, and Virginians eventually sold Pippins back to the mother country.

"There are three recipes I like for strawberry jam," says Caroline Bates. "My mother’s long-cooked one may be too much trouble for some people; the sun-cooked version is impractical for city dwellers ('First, find a sunny rooftop....'). But this soft strawberry jam (also my mother’s) is simpler and good, too." Its flavor depends on the berries' being fully sweet, completely ripe yet firm, and with not a trace of white near the stem. Such berries have less pectin than underripe ones, so the jam will be loose. Just spoon it out of a jar and dribble it on biscuits.

Begin preparing the salads at least one day ahead to allow the flavors to blend.

These plums nicely complement pork or lamb chops. You can slip off the skins before eating if you like.

Preserved lemons, sold ready-made in Moroccan souks, are essential to that country's cuisine. The peel, pulp, and juice squeezed from the lemons can all be used. Sometimes, however, the juice and preserving brine, can be bitter; use fresh lemon juice in that case.