Yesterday I made a huge batch of quince jam. They are for my friend Aaron’s company gift baskets, which feature products made by local food artisans.

I was really happy he asked me, because I like doing new things, and this is my very first jam order!

This is only the second time I’ve made jam, so it’s still a learning process.

I ended up buying way too much quince, the jam took a lot longer to cook down than I had figured, and next time I will add lemon juice for a more nuanced flavor. But, overall, I’m happy with the final result.

The quince turns a gorgeous red color after cooking for over two hours.

There is a decent amount of specialized equipment required for “canning,” or preserving. This year, I got myself an apple slicer, to cut down the amount of time it takes to slice the quince.

I got the recipe for the jam from the wonderful Pick Your Own site. There is everything here that you need to know about canning. They also sell all the equipment you need. I embellished the recipe with a little cardamom, allspice, and freshly scraped vanilla bean.

I found locally grown quince at both the Union Square Greenmarket and the Brooklyn Kitchen, and it’s available at Eataly as well. There’s still plenty of it around!