Whether it's produce from your own garden, gifts from green-fingered family or friends, or purchases from a farmer's market, warmer weather can bring more fresh produce than you can easily get through cooking everyday meals.
Here are some of our favourite recipes for turning seasonal fresh fruit and veg into preserves to stock in your pantry or fridge, so you can enjoy the harvest for weeks and months to come.
This recipe comes from Matthew Evans, who says the better quality the vinegar, the better the end product. His recipe preserves mushrooms in spiced vinegar – you can vary the herbs and spices used to suite your own tastes, with the sealed jars stored for two-three weeks before eating. Preserved eggplant (melenzane sott’olio) Credit: The Chef's Garden
Looking for more of Mele's ideas for using garden bounty? The Chef's Garden is streaming at SBS On Demand:
A vibrant pickle to preserve small cucumbers. "They’re a great way to start your pickling adventures. These are classic pickle spices, but you could use whole chillies, garlic cloves, bay leaves, turmeric and strips of lemon zest. Look out for bargain boxes of ‘seconds’ at farmers’ markets – often the only difference is that they’re not straight!" says Alex Elliott-Howery of this recipe. If you have an abundance of capsicum, this Italian favourite is a great way to use some up. "Peperonata is such a versatile dish. Served simply with bread, stirred through pasta, as a topping for pizza, stuffed into a panino, served on top of polenta and as a side dish to meat or fish," says Julia Busuttil Nishimura, who suggests using a mixture of red and yellow capsicum in her recipe. The beetroot gives this whole pickle, which also includes cauliflower and turnip, a beautiful purple hue. These need to be left for a week before serving; the opened jar can be kept in the refrigerator. Credit: Mary Makes It Easy
Salt-preserved citrus skins Credit: Murdoch Books / Alan Benson
Quince chutney Credit: Benito Martin
Credit: James Vlahogiannis
Waste veg tomato sauce. Credit: Freshly Picked with Simon Toohey
These pickles are the perfect accompaniment to a spicy Malaysian meal, especially meat dishes. They will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Barbecue pickles Credit: Kitti Gould
"Doing a big batch of pickled cherries at the end of the year has now become somewhat of a ritual... Apart from the fact they look so pretty, they make for a very tasty pickle that can be used in so many ways," says O Tama Carey of her striking sweet-tart fruit preserves, which go well with terrines and cured meats, or in a salad. 
