Chef Mark Dowling of LearntoCook.com has tutorials, recipes and tips to teach the basics to home cooks and families, including how to tailor each flavor of fruit spread to specific recipes and occasions. Here are some of his suggestions:

Jelly

Jelly combines fruit juice, sugar, pectin (a thickening agent) and acid into a clear spread that will hold its shape, even out of the jar. Jelly has a translucent color.

Jam

Jam is a thicker mixture than jelly and is made with chopped or crushed fruit, as well as pectin and sugar. Despite the soft chunks of fruit, jam will spread easily.

Pair jam with bread, toast and scones. Either bake jam into your favorite scone or muffin recipe by adding a 1/2 cup of jam, or serve it on top with clotted cream.

Marmalade is most often a citrus spread that uses the peel and pulp of the fruit; sugar is added but marmalade does not contain pectin. It is cooked for a long time, and when finished, displays the different parts and textures in a clear suspension.

Pair marmalade with salads and proteins. Vinaigrettes sweetened with a bit of marmalade are delicious atop side salads of bitter greens, such as arugula and kale. Marmalade is also excellent in a marinade or to glaze chicken.

Fruit Butter

Fruit butter is made by slow-cooking a mix of fruit and sugar until it is opaque, smooth and spreadable, with rich fruit flavor.

Pair fruit butter with your favorite cheese. Enjoy fruit butter on top of tangy brie cheese, wrapped and baked in puff pastry or on crostini with creamy goat cheese.

SMUCKER’S NATURAL FRUIT SPREADS

The famed maker of preserves has launched a new line of fruit spreads, called Smucker’s Natural. We enjoyed all four flavors: Concord Grape, Orange Marmalade, Red Raspberry and Strawberry.

And as now have four open jars in the fridge, we’re going to implement Chef Dowling’s suggestions, above.

 
CHECK OUT THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF JELLY & JAM IN OUR GLOSSARY.
  

Think outside the lettuce box to other crisp salads that are fun, nutritious and provide variety. Today, how about a broccoli salad.

It’s very easy to make broccoli salad, with all the ready-to-eat broccoli available at the market. From florets to broccoli slaw, it’s been washed and are ready to go. (Of course, you can purchase an entire head and cut it up yourself). All you need to do is add some favorite ingredients.

Serve broccoli salad at lunch, as a dinner side salad or for healthful snacking. You can use the recipe below, from Love Beets, as a template, or let your creative juices flow.

This recipe serves four. The prep time is just 5 minutes, with an additional 5 minutes cooking time.

Ingredients

 
Ingredients For Dressing

Preparation

1. MAKE the dressing by whisking together the oil and lemon juice. Season with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt. Set aside.

2. STEAM or boil the broccoli for 3 to 4 minutes until just tender but with a little bite (we microwave it in a dish with a lid for 2 minutes). While the broccoli is cooking…

3. TOAST the seeds over medium heat in a small frying pan. Toasting releases the full flavors of the seeds, so don’t skip this step! Add soy sauce and cook over a medium heat, tossing regularly to completely coat, for about 3 minutes until the seeds are crisp and golden. Take care not to burn them or they will taste bitter.

4. ARRANGE the cooked broccoli and beet wedges on a plate, drizzle the dressing over the beets and broccoli, then sprinkle with the toasted seeds and chives. Add optional cheese. Serve immediately.

The all natural Veggie Muffins line is made of 1/3 fresh vegetables. Each muffin is shrink-wrapped for easy portability. Just let the frozen muffins defrost naturally or heat them in the microwave for 30 seconds; you’ll have an extremely moist treat that’s right-sized (not super-sized) at 120 calories per muffin (3 Weight Watchers points).

The recipe contains eggs, but is dairy free, gluten free, nut free and soy free. The line is certified kosher by Star-K.

Pair Veggie Muffins with coffee or tea for quick breakfast, tuck in with your lunch or for a healthful snack. You can keep them in the office freezer—although you’ll have to disguise them so co-workers don’t polish them off.

While the muffins don’t have as much veggie content as the larger-portion souffles, each muffin is made from 1/3 fresh vegetables and comprises not quite one daily serving of vegetables. But hey, they’re muffins!

The yummy muffins are available at select Costco locations and other retailers. Check the store locator for the store nearest you.

The four-pack will retail for around $4.99, and the Costco 14-pack is a bargain at $9.99.

Garden Lites calls itself “the delicious vegetable company.” We agree.

For more information, visit GardenLites.com.