In 2004 we found ourselves with an abundance of produce we didn't have a market for. Being young in the Farming business we hadn't made all the connections that were possible for us. In our reluctance to compost these beautiful peppers, tomatoes and berries we had harvested from our field, we bought a stand freezer and started freezing them, thinking we'd eventually make them into some sort of value added product that could be sold.

The berries were easy, jars of strawberry, blackberry and raspberry jams were in abundance in no time. And then it happened, we accidentally mixed some frozen raspberries with frozen strawberries, realized our mistake but made the jam anyway. It was the birth of a whole line of very unusual jams & jellies to follow. The strawberry/raspberry jam was a big hit with our customers and the requests for more started pouring in. Soon we mixed blackberries with raspberries, then Chardonnay wine grapes with raspberries, then blueberries with blackberries, then came the triple berry jams. Raspberry/blackberry/strawberry combinations (which is still one of our more popular jams)Then blueberry/raspberry/blackberry and the list goes on. We find ourselves only limited by our imaginations and we can imagine a lot!

So what to do then with the peppers? Why make jam & jelly of course! We've always been fans of jalapeno jelly, so why not other kinds as well?  After many, many, many, many tries in the kitchen we found a couple of good recipes that continue to be big favorites for our customers. Our chili pepper jam is a combination of 14 different peppers we grow here on our farm. All of our peppers are chosen for flavor first, good looks second. It's not the smartest way to sell produce fresh, some of the most flavorful varieties are not that pretty to look at. They can be small, misshapen, have a brownish color to their skin, but the flavor of these old heirloom varieties is unsurpassed by their hybrid cousins who tend to be bred for color shape and size over flavor.  Our hot & spicy jams have a complexity of flavors that are naturally occurring in these peppers, and the combination of 14 of them surpasses any other hot & spicy jam you'll find in any other market.

The garlics we grow are also chosen for flavor over looks and long storage abilities. The standard garlics you can buy in local grocery stores (even the high end health food stores) tend to be soft neck varieties that store well. The flavor of these garlic's are good, but the ones we grow range from a creamy mellow flavor that you can't forget long after the meal is over to ones that are so hot and spicy you'd think it was some sort of pepper with a garlic flavor. Sharp, pungent, creamy, mellow, hot, tangy and rich are just some of the words that describe the varieties we grow year after year.  So, our garlic's known for their amazing flavors do not store long. What then to do with left over garlic at the years end? Why make garlic jelly of course!  It's a long and time consuming process that's left to the winter's months when the Nursery business has slowed down some, but what a fantastic jelly it is. A beautiful pale yellow color, the flavor of all the garlic's ring through making this a fantastic glaze on all kinds of baked, broiled and BBQ meats, vegetable and especially winter squash. It's also a wonderful topping for cheese and crackers, added to stir fries and salad dressing, spaghetti sauce and marinades.  

Our motto is JAM AND JELLY AREN'T JUST FOR BREAKFAST ANYMORE.

So let your imagination fly...