Blueberry Lemon and Raspberry Orange Preserves

Last weekend, on the most beautiful day ever, for a friend's birthday brunch, I made homemade pop tarts. More on those to follow Wednesday, but here's the first piece: berry preserves for the filling. Make these on the next most beautiful day ever. And while they're cooling, watch this.

3 cups blueberries
1 1/2 cups sugar
zest of one lemon
a couple tablespoons of water

3 cups raspberries
1 1/2 cups sugar
zest of half an orange or grapefruit
a couple tablespoons of water

In a large saucepan, combine the berries, sugar, and zest. Add a little water to loosen the mixture and begin heating it over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Slowly turn up the heat (but not too much!) until the mixture begins to simmer. Then cook until the fruit breaks down and the syrup thickens, about 20 minutes. The syrup should be thick enough that it holds to the spoon a bit. It will solidify more as it cools.

If the syrup isn't thickening enough after 20 minutes, strain the fruit from the mixture and cook the syrup only until properly thickened. Then pour the syrup over the fruit and cool. (I had to do this with the blueberries, but not the raspberries).

Store in a glass jar. If you're making a big batch to keep around for a while, make sure to follow proper canning procedures.