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