Conserve

A conserve is a fruit preserve cooked with sugar that often includes more than one fruit, dried fruit and nuts.

Conserve: A glass bowl of thick glossy fruit conserve in a deep plum-purple and amber color, with chopped plum, bits of orange peel, plump raisins and pecan pieces visible in the s
  • Fillings, creams, frostings and sauces

Also called: fruit conserve, whole fruit jam

A conserve is a thick, chunky fruit spread. Instead of a single smooth fruit, it usually mixes several kinds, and some versions add raisins and nuts for texture.

A tested home-preservation recipe for plum conserve shows the pattern. Chopped plums are combined with orange pulp and thinly sliced orange peel, seedless raisins and plenty of sugar. The mixture is heated slowly to a boil while stirring until the sugar dissolves, then cooked rapidly almost to the jellying point.

The nuts, such as pecans, go in only during the last five minutes of cooking so they stay crisp rather than turning soft. The hot conserve is poured into hot, sterile jars with a little headspace and processed in a boiling water canner. The result is richer and more textured than a jelly, and it is spooned onto bread or served with sweets.

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Sources

Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.

  1. Plum Conserve, National Center for Home Food Preservation (University of Georgia)