For the past five years, I've spent my late-summer birthday making plum jam. Parties are fun. Cake is good. But all I want is the quiet pleasure of standing over the stove, stirring and staring as the ...

Q: We have a flowering plum (supposedly ornamental) tree in our front yard. This year, it is covered with small walnut-sized plums. Are these edible? I am envisioning plum jam if they are edible. A: ...

This is a straightforward plum jam that can be flavored as you like. I add winter spices such as star anise and a cinnamon stick, thinking ahead to lean days with no summer fruit in the trees. Purple ...

To achieve this plum jam nirvana, start with good fruit. It doesn’t have to be precious stuff — save that for eating fresh — but find fragrant plums and pluots. That’s obvious. This next trick, less ...

There are plenty of clever ways to enjoy summer's bounty of fruit in the winter months. Here's an easy way to make your plums ...

I’ve been spending the past week in the Bay Area, and last Saturday I finally got the chance to go to Berkeley’s downtown farmers market. It was fun to see new (for me) vendors selling great bread, ...

A 5-year-old boy darts through the sand around his home near the Indian River Inlet. He looks over his shoulder at the woman following him with a small woven basket and beckons her to follow. Just ...

A 5-year-old boy darts through the sand around his home near the Indian River Inlet. He looks over his shoulder at the woman following him with a small woven basket and beckons her to follow. Just ...

For the past five years, I’ve spent my late-summer birthday making plum jam. Parties are fun. Cake is good. But all I want is the quiet pleasure of standing over the stove, stirring and staring as the ...