Fall Flavors-NEW and Fun Happenings!

Wow! What to say???

I am having so much fun with this, I cannot tell you!

I was lucky enough to freeze quite a bit of fruit over the summer, thanks to great local farmers like Fryer Farms of Logan, Parker Produce, Mark Anderson of Wellsville (NOT of Anderson Garden...a much nicer guy!) and Harward Farms of Lindon... (I will admit that I did get a little bit of fruit from Allred farms in Provo, but I have recently heard that they broker peaches from out of state and am not going to buy from them any more.) I truly take my support of local farmers absolutely seriously and will not support a broker.

THIS does not mean that I DO NOT use out of state produce at all, (seasonal cranberries, lemons, etc) but 85-90 percent of my jams are made with local produce only!!! And they are made in Logan by me and me alone (with the help of my husband and family who do the labeling and add my cool lids!!! :)

Here are a few of my new winter flavors...there will be more... but for now....

Sloshed Cran Raspberry--Fresh Utah Raspberries and Fresh Cranberries cooked together with sugar, special seasonings (of course grains of paradise are included in my blend of spices!) and a hint of grand mariner to bring out that hint of citrus that we all love so much with fresh cranberries! This makes for a great jam, or is wonderful with pork, turkey, chicken, white seafood, in cakes or thumbprint cookies, brownies, cheesecakes, or my favorite old-fashioned way is to slice up a Rustic Baguette from Crumb Brothers, spread it with cream cheese, and add a dollop of this to the top! Great toasted or cold!

Chocolate Cran-Raspberry-The same exact thing as above, BUT, with the addition of Amano Ocumare chocolate in just the right proportions!!!! :) Oooooo Yummy!!! Use in the same ways, or melt some in the microwave for Ice Cream, crepes, waffles..

Chocolate Pear a l'orange--Red and ripe D'anjou pears (skins and all) blended with special seasonings, a hint of grand marnier, just a teensy bit of sugar and chocolate to balance out the flavor make this spread wonderful with anything. It makes a great spread for a grilled cheese with sharp cheddar....add a few sauteed mushrooms and you are set! Try it with Crumb Brothers Garlic Loaf.. YUM! Pannini Style. Also great on ANY Meat as a marinade or condiment!

A "Plum" Mocha Obsession'- Italian plums poached in Cognac, sugar and spices, then blended with a hint of Kahlua, Amano Chocolate, special spices, and you are off to never never land! This is a wonderful compliment to Pork or Turkey.. Great for the holidays. This is one that is not too sweet, not to sour, but just right!!!

Chocolate Blueberry Decadance-Blueberries and chocolate. Heaps of both. Need I say more? This has been my most popular flavor to date and I cannot keep it in stock. I will have some this weekend at Caputos. The price on this is higher because I cannot get the quality in state blueberries that I like to cook with so I have to pay more for them. However it is worth it.

Peach-Blueberry Almondine-Utah Lemon Peaches infused with blueberries and a bit of Amaretto... Three of my favorite flavors blended together.

I am going to try to have my ever popular Strawberry Lemon-lade, however, I am catering a birthday party tomorrow night and busy, busy, busy!!!

NEW AND FUN HAPPENINGS!!!!

I am so lucky that Matt Caputo found me! He pointed me towards Amano Chocolate (TOSS OUT THE GUITTARD GUYS...I USE 1/4 THE AMOUNT OF CHOCOLATE BECAUSE OF THE BETTER QUALITY AND IT IS LOCAL!!!) in Orem (chocolate is HUGE in my gourmet jams) and it has made all the difference in the flavor.

It is an absolute pleasure for me to go to Caputos and sit, snack on cheese, olives, a great (500 pound!) meatball sandwich, more olives (Lukes are my favorites), more cheese, aranciata, CHOCOLATES, and just chat and visit with the workers and customers!! Everyone is so friendly and welcoming, you could not find a better place to spend your afternoon!

Apricot Pepper Jelly with FRESH (not dried) Apricots

helllllo alll....

I have been searching the internet for recipes lately for a good "preserve" or 'Jam" recipe for apricot pepper jelly that does not ask for dried apricots and a million pounds of sugar and food coloring.. HOW NASTY?!?!?!?!

DID YOU KNOW THAT WHEN YOU BUY PEPPER JELLIES THAT IS WHAT YOU ARE PAYING FOR???

Well I finally sat down and played with a recipe myself and figured one out. I don't know if many of you have been to Iggy's Sports Grill, but I have made a preserve ( a thick spread) from fresh Apricots, a few different kinds of peppers and a minimal amount of sugar that almost mimics their dipping sauce's flavor.

AND IT'S SPREADABLE... not dippable...

I am starting up a site on Etsy for my jams. When I am done with my surgery you will be able to purchase my jams there... I am not giving this recipe up yet. It ROCKS...

:)

New Ideas for Apricots?

Hello everybody...

I have a few hundred pounds of apricots....I am pretty good at coming up with ideas for jams, but I am turning to you....is there a type of jam that your aunt or grandma used to make with apricots that you just loved as a kid and cannot find anymore?

I don't need recipes, just flavor ideas...

Send me some flavor vibes....I am counting on you!!! :)

FUN WITH APRICOTS....AND CHOCOLATE!

Apricot Chocolate Chunk Jam

8 lbs of Fresh Apricots

4 C Pure Cane Sugar (I always use C&H)

1 Packet of Ball Pectin

Juice from one LIME

1-2 T Unsalted Butter

6 oz Guittard Oro Bittersweet Chocolate

Fruit Fresh

Boil the Apricots for at least 5 minutes. Drain them and squeeze the pits out, making sure that all the stems are gone as well.

Sprinkle the cooked apricots with fruit fresh to prevent them from Browning-they do it fast!!! If you use lemon or lime juice it tends to flavor the jam...

DO NOT PEEL THE APRICOTS..THE PEELS ARE GREAT FOR FLAVOR AND FIBER!!

PULSE THE APRICOTS IN A CUSINART OR BLENDER UNTIL IT IS PUREE'D... (IF YOU LIKE YOU CAN LEAVE LITTLE CHUNKS, BUT I LIKE IT PUREED BECAUSE OF THE SKINS....)

Pulse the chocolate in Cusinart until it is in little lentil size pieces.

Put about 2 T of chocolate chunks into the bottom of about 10 1/2 pint jars.

Melt butter in bottom of HEAVY Soup Pan...

Add 7-8 Cups of Fruit Puree.

Add the Juice from 1 Lime

Add One Packet of Pectin

Bring to a low boil.

Add 4-5 Cups of Sugar.

Bring to a heavy boil and AFTER it reaches its boiling point, let it boil for 70 seconds.

Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.

Ladle into Jars, pouring over chocolate chunks.... (most will stay in the bottom, some will float)

Seal and process 1/2 pints for at least 15 minutes.

When you open the jam you can stir it and the chocolate will swirl like chocolate swirl ice cream. it's fun and YUMMY!!

You can use less or more chocolate, depending on how much you like it!!

Remember the Corn Starch Hint from earlier... Use it if your jam does not seem thick....Add it with the sugar.... :)

Today's Activites.....

Wow... I just got my first retail order and am getting ready to fill it...

This is my second year in business and it is really fun! I make all my jams according to what fruits are in season... That is the best part and the funnest!!


Right now I am working with about 100 lbs of Apricots, Raspberries, Black Raspberries, a few Strawberries, and I am supposed to get a little bit of Rhubarb delivered today...


So here are the flavors I will be putting up today...


Apricot - duh.. ;)


Apricot Chip
Spiced Apricot & Rhubarb
Raspberry
Chocolate Raspberry
Black Raspberry

Chocolate Black Raspberry

Jumble Berry

Strawberry Rhubarb

Raspberry Apricot

Apricot Pineapple Mango (MAYBE)....


If you have any ideas, toss them this way! :)

Butchers Bunches Chocolate Blueberry Jam

This is a recipe for all you stay at home cooks!! It is not the one I use for the jams I sell... It is high in sugar, which is a preservative in itself, which is necessary for home canning and gift giving!! Sorry, but I don't give out my recipes that I sell!! I can help you try to copy them though! :) Liz

6 C FRESH Blueberries
4-5 C Sugar
2 oz Pectin
2 T Butter (Unsalted)
3 oz Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
11 oz Guittard Oro Bittersweet Chocolate

Melt Butter in pan.
Pulse Berries in a Food processor until chunky.
Add berries, pectin, chocolate and lemon juice to large pot and bring to low-medium boil.

Add sugar and stir until melted, making sure that it does not stick or burn. Bring to high boil for 1-2 minutes.

Remove from heat immediately.

Let sit for 5 minutes. This prevents the fruit from separating from the syrup.

Ladle into Jars and either water bath process (my favorite) or pressure cook!

(water bath=15-25 minutes depending on the size jars you use....15 minutes for half pints 20 for pints and 25 for quarts is a good guide....)

Some other clues for Jams...

The butter helps to reduce the foam, it is WONDERFUL and you don't lose a lot of excess jam when you are working with expensive ingredients like chocolate and fresh blueberries.

If you have a hard time getting your jams to set you can do a couple of things...

1. EASIEST THING... add a tablespoon of cornstarch when you add the sugar. It is a gelling agent that is completely flavorless and does not harm the jam in any way. Saves a lot of time and money and does not harm the jam at all. JUST MIX IT INTO THE SUGAR THOUROGHLY SO IT DOES NOT CLUMP UP!! :)

2. If your jam, does not set up, dump the jars back into the pot, add about 1/3 a packet of liquid pectin, a teaspoon of lemon juice, and 1/2 C of sugar, bring it all to a boil again, then pour it back into the jars, use new lids, and re-process. It will set up this time!! :)

Personally I like the cornstarch method because it is a lot cheaper AS LONG AS YOU HAVE USED THE 2 OZ OF PECTIN FOR PRESERVING ALREADY!! YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOME CITRIC ACID (ONE OF THE MAIN INGREDIENTS IN PECTIN!) FOR HEALTH REASONS AND SAFE PRESERVING!!

Please let me know if you have any questions or like or hate this....

It is wonderful over Ice Cream, on crepes, crossaint, english muffins, toasts, baguettes with a touch of cream cheese, YOU name it!! :)