Last Available for 2012

This will be the last list for 2012. I am hanging up my Jam pot for a few weeks to spend Christmas with my family. I am looking forward to 2013 and building a new inventory to share will you!
Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to you and yours.



Butters and Specialties
 $7.00 for 8oz $5.00 for 4oz

Chocolate Espresso Sauce 4-8oz  

Blackberry Liquor Sauce 3-4oz 

Chutney

4oz $5.00 8oz $7.00

Plum Pear Chutney 2-4oz

Cran-Apple Thyme Chutney 5 -8oz  

Jams & Glazes 4oz
4oz 3 for $10.00 or $3.50 each

Carrot Cake Jam-5

Apricot-2

Caramel Apple-2

Sweet Red Pepper-1

Garlic Jelly-1

Spiced Caramel Pear-3 

Jams & Glazes 8oz
8oz 3 for $14.00 or $5.00 each

Caramel Apple Jam-13

Spiced Caramel Pear-2

Carrot Cake Jam-2
Habanero Jam-4

Hot Pepper Jam --1 

Veggies

16oz $9.00

Spicy Pickled Carrots

 

Flavor list 12/4/12

Merry Christmas Friends!

So the last Tasting Party was a real inventory clearer! It was very exciting!  I appreciate all of the continued encouragement, meeting new people, and the opportunity to share my Jam. Here is what is available today. I am in the process of filling orders for Hot Pepper Jam, Habanero Pepper Jam, Mango Jalapeno, and Garlic Jelly. These four will be available by weeks end. Next week I will be working on the Spicy Carrots. If you would like some of those be sure to message me on Facebook or email at jamsbyjen@gmail.com by this Sunday.

 

 

Butters and Specialties

 $7.00 for 8oz $5.00 for 4oz

Salted Caramel Apple Butter 1-16oz

Chocolate Espresso Sauce 5-8oz   1-4oz

Praline Syrup  1-4oz

Balsamic Fig Jam  4-4oz

Blackberry Liquor Sauce 11-4oz

Apple Maple Syrup 1-4oz 

 

Chutney

4oz $5.00 8oz $7.00

Plum Pear Chutney 1-4oz

Apple Plum Chutney 3-4oz

Cran-Apple Thyme Chutney 5-8oz 2-4oz  

Jams & Glazes 4oz

4oz 3 for $10.00 or $3.50 each

Lemon Lavender -2

Lemon Marmalade-1

Tomato Basil-1

Carrot Cake Jam-7

Spicy Apricot-1

Apricot-2 

Jams & Glazes 8oz

8oz 3 for $14.00 or $5.00 each

Caramel Apple Jam-2

Spicy Apricot Jam-1

Apricot Jam-3

Spiced Caramel Pear-2

Orange Berry Jam-5

Herb Jellies 4oz

$3.50

Rosemary Jelly 2-8oz  1-4oz

Lemon Balm Jelly 2-4oz

Veggies

16oz $9.00, 8oz $7.00, 4oz $5.00

Spicy Pickled Garlic 4- 8oz 14-4oz

Restocking in progress

Hot Pepper Jam

Habanero Pepper Jam

Mango Jalapeno

Garlic Jelly

Spiced Pumpkin Muffins with Spiced Caramel Pear Glaze

Photo by Keiko Marr

These were my favorite treats from the last tasting. I was so excited to make them that I involuntarily woke up at 3am that Sunday morning to bake them. I also had some wonderful spiced scones in the works as well but my oven had other ideas. It has been a very moody appliance as of late. At least my little muffins turned out perfectly.

 

Spiced Pumpkin Muffins with Spiced Caramel Pear Glaze

 

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground clove

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1 15oz can pumpkin puree

1/3 cup melted butter

1/2 cup half-and-half

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

 

Prep: Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, ginger, clove and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin, melted butter, half-and-half, the beaten eggs, sugars, and vanilla; mix until blended. Stir pumpkin mixture into the dry ingredients until moistened. Do not over mix. Fill muffin tin approx. 3/4 full with batter. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before glazing.

 

Spiced Caramel Pear Glaze

 

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp of milk

2-4 Tbsp of Spiced Caramel Pear Jam

 (taste after two tbsp to see if you like the flavor, add more if necessary)

 

When the muffins have cooled completely, dip the tops into the glaze and return to the cooling rack for the glaze to set.

 

3am, Cranberries & a Basket

I pray for my little Jam endeavors. I pray for wisdom, inspiration, guidance and favor, to name just a few. And because I believe with my whole heart that the Lord's timing is His own and rarely seems to be what I have in mind, a 3am wakeup call no longer surprises me.

It would have to be divine inspiration to wake me straight out of bed at 3am on a Monday morning. Not just awake, but happy awake with a smile on my face and a desire to jog downstairs to search out one more delightful recipe to serve at the next tasting. I've heard that song writers keep a pad and paper by their bedside for midnight inspiration. I suppose if their sweet jams are created this way so too can mine be...corny I know but it is 3am.

So I awoke with two very clear ideas..... A basket and butter. The basket had a title and everything, in my best Charlton Heston Mosesesque voice... "It shall be named, The Good Morning Basket". This basket will be appropriately filled with Fruit Butters and Jams that would be divine over pancakes, waffles, scones or biscuits and include a pre-printed suggestion card on how to prepare and serve each flavor.

And the butter.... This was clearly to be in line with Fall, something festive to serve to holiday guests or to treat yourself with when Fall and Winter get around to making their presence known. Yes that is a hint.... As our first day of October is forecasted to include a temperature of 101, I am again reminded that timing is not mine, but His alone. So the Butter I've been inspired to create will be a Cran-Apple Butter. There are fresh Cranberries at our local grocery store now, and the apples, oh the variety of Apples available this time of year is just exciting! This last statement is a good testament to the fact that I was created to, among other things, make Jam.

 

Inventory check one, two....

Raspberry Lemonade Float

If it were possible to Can my can off, I would, without a doubt, have the best backside on the block. However, being the over thinker that I am, I guess I could just as easily end up with a pancake thing going on too. "Be careful what you wish for" keeps ringing in my head. OK, mom, I hear ya!

Anyway... I've been a canning fool! I did an inventory check last night and I have no less that 225 Jars ready for October 14th tasting. My office is positively overflowing with boxes of Jam ready to go on display.

I am excited  to share some new flavors with everyone. Along with the proven favorites there will also be some newbies,  Apple Jalapeno Jam, Raspberry Lemonade, Lemon Vanilla Bean, Apple Plum Chutney and (Drum Roll Please) Candie Apple Jelly! How fun is that?  Oh and I almost forgot, Spiced Picked Garlic. Of course there is a whole 30 days until the actual event so you never know what other flavors might join the party.



Apple Jalapeno Glazed Pork Roast

Hope to see you all there!







Goodbye Grandpa Fay

This past weekend my Grandfather, William Fay Rutledge, passed away. His passing was not unexpected as he was in his 80’s and had been battling cancer for most of this year. Expectation does not make the death of a loved one any easier; it just makes it less shocking. I’m thinking my grandmother, Peggy Rutledge, his wife of 62 years, does not see it that way.



March 2012-Grandpa, Grandma
Seth, Reese and Christian.



You see my Grandfather, a man of excellent character and demeanor, gave his life to the Lord and was baptized in front of almost his entire family last year. This gives me the “Peace that passes all understanding” that Philippians 4:7 talks about.  I know in my knower that I will see him again someday. That wonderful man with his beautiful thick gray hair, strong, but gentle arms, and sweet smiling eyes is not gone forever, but only a moment.

Maybe it was the business of the days that followed that news that kept me from processing his passing. I hadn’t cried or had a moment to just stop and reflect until a phone conversation with my mother and grandmother. In that conversation she told me that Grandpa hadn’t really had an appetite in the last few weeks of his life and that grandma had just made him some toast with my Jam on it the other day.  She told me that after grandpa took a bite of that jam and toast he said “Oh that is so good, is there anymore of that?” There came those missing tears. Mom, with grandma in the background continued on to say, “Jenny, you know, he was so proud of what you are doing with your Jams.” Yep, the tears flowed after that.

My grandfather was proud of me. The value of that knowledge is something I will never be able to put into words.

What a great day!

Have you ever thrown a party and thought..... no one will come.....they aren't going to come.....no one is coming...... Oh how I longed to hear a  whispering voice coming from a corn field, you know, the one that says "If you Jam it, they will come"...     In all honestly it always runs through my head at least once when I plan a party. It happened today at exactly 10am. My party was staged, the players were set to perform, the curtain opened .......and there was no audience. That is until 10:05 when the first guest arrived, a repeat customer who having been to the first tasting, knew that some flavors go very fast. She was the first wind in my sails today. Thank you Ellen for your promptness! And because I thank the first, I most sincerely must thank the one who closed out the party with his basket clearing maneuver. Thank you Mr. B, it was great to meet you!

The second of anything has a benefit that the first does not. The benefit being just that, that it is the second. Like the second child gets the more relaxed, experienced parent. So went this tasting. Not only did I have a better idea of what to expect, I also had the valuable input on improvements from attendees of the first tasting to help me tweak a few things. In this tasting planning I had a little more experience under my Jamming tool belt so planning was much less stressful. Nothing, in fact, about making Jam is stressful to me. I enjoy it all, from the recipe search, to the prep, to the actual canning  and even the labeling and the cost accounting. I L.O.V.E it all. Got a little side tracked there, sorry. Lets just say that I am enjoying these Tasting parties very much. They give me the opportunity to meet new people,  visit with friends and to share something I absolutely enjoy. Oh, and  I get to hear some of my favorite words, "Oh, that does taste good!"

I am, without a doubt, looking forward to the third Jams by Jen Tasting Extravaganza.....lol...(no, really I did)......got a little Veggie Tales on ya there didnt I? :)

Newbies & Flavor List 8/10/2012

I have some new editions this week. First, a delightfully bright Lemon Lavender Marmalade. The flavor of this Marmalade is reminiscent of Lemon Head candies. It has a sweet beginning with a playful tart punch as and end flavor. This Marmalade would be excellent as a filler for Thumb Print Cookie or a glaze for Lemon Bread.  I made this as a special request from Stacy, a sweet friend of the vintage variety. I am so glad she requested this because I have finally found a Marmalade that I can say I like. It is delightful, just like her.

Mr. Plum Pear Chutney

This week also brought a new love to my life. His name is Chutney. Strong, savory and sweet blend so well together I tell you these will turn a left over piece of meat into a whole new party in your mouth. It's a happy dance condiment for sure!


A Chutney, for those who don't know (I was in that category until yesterday) is a condiment best served with meats, cheeses, and egg dishes. You can also mix it into a stuffing mixture for a little extra special flavor. The fruit in a Chutney is larger than in a jam and could be considered more of a relish.


 As I made these two flavors I couldn't help but think of the upcoming holidays. They will certainly add something extra special to any Holiday Table. Additionally, the flavor of a Chutney improves with age. As they are delicious now, I can only imagine how wonderful they will be at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Butters and Specialties
 $7.00 for 8oz $5.00 for 4oz

3-4oz for $14.00 or    3-8oz for $20.00    Pint $14.00

Apple Butter   3-8oz    2-4oz

Salted Caramel Apple Butter 1-16oz 5-8oz   4-4oz

Apple Maple Butter 1-8oz   2-4oz

Blueberry Maple Butter   3-8oz    3-4oz

Apricot Butter    1-4oz

Chocolate Raspberry Topper 2-8oz   1-4oz

Chocolate Espresso Sauce 3-4oz

Pineapple Topping 2-8oz    4-4oz

Praline Syrup   10-8oz

Chutney

4oz $5.00 8oz $7.00

Plum Pear Chutney 6-8oz 7-4oz

Cran-Apple Sage & Thyme Chutney 4-8oz 4-4oz

Jams & Glazes 4oz
4oz 3 for $10.00 or $3.50 each

2-Lemon Lavender Marmalade

7-Styrawberry Kiwi

1-Strawberry Nectarine

4-Strawberry Pineapple

2-Hot Pepper Jam

2-Spiced Caramel Pear

1-Spiced Pear Walnut

6-Berry Wine Jelly

4-Peach Bellini

1-Peach Cardamom

1-Peach Chipotle

2-Tangerine Marmalade

4-Spiced Caramel Apricot Walnut

1-Apricot Provance

3-Blueberry Lemon

3-Sweet Red Pepper

3-Mango Jalapeno

2-Jalapeno Jam

2-Strawberry jam

1-Strawberry Basil

1-Kiwi

Jams & Glazes 8oz
8oz 3 for $14.00 or $5.00 each

7-Plum Chipotle

2-Lemon Lavender Marmalade

5-Caramel Apple Jam

14-Mango Jalapeno

3-Strawberry Kiwi

9-Strawberry Chipotle

6-Strawberry Nectarine

7-Strawberry Pineapple

5-Hot Pepper Jam

5-Spiced Caramel Pear

6-Peach Bellini

8-Peach Cardamom

8-Peach Chipotle

2-Spiced Caramel Apricot Pecan

2-Spiced Caramel Apricot Walnut

5-Strawberry Daiquiri

1-Apricot Provance

1-Pumpkin Pie Spiced Apricot

2-Apricot Cayenne

5-Blueberry Lemon

13- Sweet Red Pepper

Pint O'Jam 16 oz
$10.00 each

4-Blueberry Lemon

1-Tangerine Marmalade

Herb Jellies 4oz

$3.50

5-Basil Jelly

5-Rosemary Jelly

Peach Chipotle Cole Slaw

My sister Nellie, a faithful Jam taster, came over yesterday to try my Peach Chipotle Jam. She liked it... she really liked it, but she posed the same question that comes along with most Jam.... "What would you use that on".  As you can imagine this question comes up a lot. It has actually gone from being a question to more of a spring board. As soon as the questions leaves the lips the wheels start turning, and the recipes start forming.

This one took a good nights sleep and a craving for pulled pork to develop but here it is. The perfect topping for a nice juicy Pulled Pork Sandwich..............Peach Chipotle Cole Slaw.

  
                                                   Peach Chipotle Cole Slaw

  

1 16oz Bag of Cole Slaw

1Tbsp of Milk

3 Tbsp of Mayo (or more depending on how creamy you like it)

4 Tbsp  Peach Chipotle Jam

11/2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

1/2 tsp Paprika

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Mix together and Refrigerate until ready to serve



Hot Pepper Glazed Shrimp K-Bobs

When I make a Jam my mind never goes to toast. Toast is a given, an expectation and a last resort. If I'm going to heat up my kitchen, and stand over a boiling pot of fruit, pectin, and sugar when its 104 outside, its going to be for something exciting or at least experimental.

 Hot Pepper Glazed Shrimp was my motivation. I wanted some true heat from my hot peppers and the last batch of Jalapenos I bought just weren't cutting its. It was time to try the Serrano Pepper...... I'm a chicken when it comes to heat, but if someone says they would enjoy my Hot Pepper Jam with a little more heat I'm going to do my best to give them more heat. So on went the rubber gloves, goggles, and a headband. I was soooo rock'n a kitchen dork look but several Serranos and a few Sweet Peppers later I had a nice spicy glaze/jam ready to jar up.

The week prior I had ordered a new Lodge Cast Iron Grill Pan. I was excited about using that too. So I skewered up some shrimp, red peppers, and few sweet onions. A word to the wise here, non stick cooking spray should be in a holster on your hip when cooking with jams and glazes. Add that to the picture of me with gloves, goggles and a headband..... that should give you a laugh.  These glazes stick to everything which is good for your shrimp, not so much for your pans.  Just cut yourself some slack in the dish washing department and be very liberal with the non-stick spray if you try this recipe.

With my well sprayed pan ready to go I gave the skewers a little dusting of salt and pepper and let them sizzle for about 5 minutes in the pan and then began basting them with the Hot Pepper Jam, rotating them until they were cooked through. Throw a few veggies in a skillet on the burner next to your grill pan with a little olive oil and a tablespoon of butter, put a couple of cups in the rice cooker (if you have one) while your veggies and skewers are cooking up and you will have yourself a nice meal ready in no time.

These Shrimp K-bobs turned out very nice, they had a beautiful color and a nice caramelization from the glaze. Unfortunately the heat from the Serranos did not come through as much as I would have liked it to. So my experimentations will continue until I get a nice spicy flavor to come through from the Hot Pepper Jam.  The thought of a Habbanero in my future worries me, does anyone have a Haz-Mat suit I can borrow?

Jam Tasting



Me and My eldest, Seth

This past Sunday, much to my delight, I hosted the first ever Jams by Jen Tasting Party. I had been thinking about doing this for a while but was unsure if there would be enough interest to make the effort worth while. Thanks to the encouragement of some vintage friends I took the leap, set a date, posted a Facebook event and off it went. I will always be grateful for the encouragement of these two wonderful ladies because that Sunday was amazing!!!!

One of the best parts of making Jam for me has been the look of delight when someone tastes a Jam that they really like. My belly does a back flip when I see a smile appear and an eye twinkle as the taste is registered in the brain as pleasing and acceptable. I think I finally understand why the grandmothers of past generations were so happy to fill everyone's bellies with their delicious creations. I get such a sense of satisfaction from  making something that brings others happiness.  That is the reward I get from making Jam. So a very big THANK YOU to my vintage friends, my new friends, and off course my wonderfully supportive family for allowing me to share my Jam with you. The happiness and fulfillment this new Jamming adventure has brought into my life is amazing!!!!

Rosemary Glazed Pork Loin

I have several Rosemary bushes in my back yard. I didn't put them there, in fact I didn't have a clue what they were until someone experienced in the botanical arts pointed them out to me. Thank you Chone! What a happy find! Not only are they pleasant to look at but they bring a beautiful aroma to an otherwise bland back yard.

I am always looking for new and exciting recipes. Yes, new Jam and Jelly recipes are exciting to me. While most Jam recipes are easy to me, Jellies have been more of a challenge. Jams are full of chunky fruit and their texture allows for a wider margin of error, but not Jellies. A great Jelly, as I learned from Linda J. Amendt's book, Blue Ribbon Preserves, is not only about the flavor of the Jellie, but the appearance and clarity as well. You could call it the Diamond of the of the preserving world. While my clarity remains a work in progress, the flavor of this jelly turned out wonderfully.

For this recipe I used a rub composed of 1/4 tsp Ground Ginger, 1/2 tsp of Garlic Salt, 1tsp Dried Oregano and 1/4 tsp each of Salt and Pepper. I squeezed half a lemon over the loin then sprinkled the rub over it. I made sure to coat all sides and the end as well. Next, I dropped about a tablespoon or two of Olive Oil in a saute pan, let it get hot enough to get a good sear on the Loin. Be careful with this part, the Oil can be quite moody.

Once you have seared all sides of the meat place it on a foil lined baking sheet that has a rack coated with non stick cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees with an oven save thermometer inserted into the Loin. While the Loin is roasting away I warm the Rosemary Jelly and the juice of half a lemon in a small sauce pan over very low heat, stirring as needed.  At about 20-30 minutes or when the thermometer reads 160 degrees I pull out the pan and start basting with the warmed Rosemary Jelly. I turn my ovens broiler to low, raise the oven rack from the center position to the next row up. I baste every 5 minutes until the internal temperature of the meat is 170 degrees and the Loin had a nice crackling glaze kind of like the picture below. You have to be very attentive of your Loin at this point, there is a fine line  between a nice crispy glaze and a charred mess. Just keep a good eye on it.

Remove your Loin from the overn and let it rest for about 5 minutes before you start slicing. As with most things in life a good rest will do your dinner good. For a garnish I clipped a few sprigs of Rosemary from the back yard and sprinkled the Loin with Dried Parsley. And here you go; Rosemary Glazed Pork Loin.

Jam'n up Some Chicken



Due to last weeks berry picking adventure I had quite a bit of blackberries to use. The bambinos had eaten their fill and my jam cabinet had a sufficient supply of Blackberry Jam, & Blackberry Jelly so something different was in order. I think it's nice to have a sweet and savory version of the same fruit spread when possible. Strawberry Chipotle has been on top of the favorite list since I started making Jam so I thought I would try that pairing with the Blackberries. It came out quite nice. The Blackberries have a stronger darker flavor and the Chipotles in Adobo give the jam just the right amount of heat along with a nice smokey flavor. When I made this Jam I had every intention of trying it on chicken. The pairing just seemed to make sense to me.

Now being that we have a variety of taste buds in our home I knew the Chipotle wouldn't fly with everyone at the dinner table. Not wanting to make two separate dinners it occurred to me to use two separate Jams to glaze the main course.  Our "please everyone" glaze has consistently been anything involving Apricot Jam so popped open a jar of that along with the Blackberry Chipotle.

So here is what I did. First I preheated the oven to 350 degrees. Next I seasoned both sides of the chicken breasts with a little salt, pepper, season salt, a dash of garlic powder and some dry herbs then I placed them on a flat roasting rack sprayed with non-stick cooking spray that I put on a foil lined baking sheet and I let them bake for approximately 20 minutes.

While the chicken breasts were baking I warmed the Jams in two separate small pots on the stove. You can warm the jam in the microwave too if you like, just a few seconds will get it nice and warm.  At about the 20 minute mark I pulled the chicken out and basted the top side, returning it to the oven for 5 minutes. I flipped the chicken breasts one more time, basting the bottom side. I turned the broiler on Hi and moved the rack with the chicken to it highest point in the oven to get a nice caramelization on the chicken. 

During the second flip I also inserted and oven safe thermometer into one of the breasts. I have consistently ended up with the most moist chicken when I cook it to 165 degrees. This is the temperature at which my thermometer packaging says chicken is done and safe to eat.  You do have to keep an eye on your chicken when it is placed that high in the over to prevent scorching. If you have a tendency to wander from your stove I would put it one level lower. It might take longer to get the Jam to caramelize but at least it wont burn. :) When the thermometer reading said 165 I removed my chicken from the over and let it rest for five minutes or so. They turned out delicious!

The Apricot and Herb Chicken was delightfully moist and  had a nice sweet and salty flavor. The Blackberry Chipotle had a rich smokey flavor with a nice kick at the end. If there is a downside to the Blackberry Chipotle it would be the blackberry seeds but if you don't mind those you should give this one a try.  There were full, happy bellies all around the dinner table that night.