If you’re a gardener, a farmers’ market enthusiast, or a member of a community-supported agriculture group, there will probably come a point in the summer when you will find yourself overwhelmed with fresh berries, which seem like a ticking time bomb as they begin to soften and rot. When that point comes, don’t think — just make jam.

My favorite easy jam recipe isn’t a preserves recipe — in other words, it contains minimal sugar and no pectin, requires no canning, and keeps for days in the fridge, not months in the pantry. Its rough texture is infinitely more interesting than that of most grocery store jam, and its flavor is fruitier and less cloying. I love it spread on bread with peanut butter, dribbled over pancakes, spooned on scones and biscuits, and even daubed on roasted or grilled meat (especially poultry).

This recipe for blueberry jam, which comes from a 2002 Minimalist column that also included recipes for fig and peach jams, is gently scented with cinnamon, but don’t feel that you have to go that route: vanilla beans are also heavenly, as are cardamom pods, coins of fresh ginger — or no extra flavoring at all.