So… back to our continuing series of DIY Holiday ideas from all of you lovely readers and fans out there!

After getting kicked around for suggesting the malicious butterfly bush as an appropriate holiday gift (mea maxima culpa!), allow me to follow up with something much less questionable and unquestionably more delicious as today’s DIY Holiday tip: homemade jams, chutneys, preserves and other nummies! 

Here’s what Just Out fan and “Sassy Gardener” columnist LeAnn Locher suggested:

Family and friends are getting jam, preserves, chutneys and vinegars this year. All homemade, many made from fruit we picked ourselves. I’m even sending some jams to a client in NYC: Oregon’s marionberries are famous there… Since it’s late in the game for preserving the harvest, you can always make jam with frozen berries. And apple butter is definitely a possibility, or marmalade made from citrus.

You got other DIY Holiday tips and hints? I want them! E-mail me: stephen@justout.com

(photo above right by LeAnn Locher)