Mountain Ash berry jelly is more than just a little beautiful—as it should be, considering the magical tree we plucked the berries from. Our local Mountain Ash is known in Europe as the Rowan and has a long and fabled history. Greek mythology explains how the Rowan came to earth (via burning demons and an eagle, of course) and the Celts and Brits once relied on it to protect them from witches and fairies. Oh, and let's not forget it's also credited with saving the Norse god, Thor.

We haven't managed to track down any First Nations stories but we'd be surprised if there's isn't something. It's a beautiful dramatic tree with deep red berries that stick around into early winter—definitely worthy of a legend or two. Word for the wise, they're pretty horrible tasting fresh from the tree. Unless you're a moose or a bird you're waaay better off cooking it and adding sugar. We added rosemary to our batch and it has an interesting astringency that would go very nicely with cheese or meat.