The start of strawberry season is always a game of patience as we wait for the most luscious strawberries to come to market. When those strawberries hit their stride, our kitchen is transformed. There's nothing like the sweet smell of strawberry jam cooking! These handsome red berries are resplendent on their own, and we always love to accentuate their playfulness with an exotic spice: pink peppercorns. Possessing a ton of flavor and very little heat, pink peppercorns amp up the convivial side of Spring's first fruit. Have you been eagerly awaiting strawberries' arrival, too? Our Strawberry-Pink Peppercorn Jam is now available online! There's no better partner for ricotta on toast, and a spoonful or two will brighten up your morning yogurt. We promise this jam will put a spring in your step!

Take a peek inside our strawberry-filled kitchen:

Your darling momma will receive a gift-wrapped set containing one jar each of:
- Strawberry-Rose Jam
- Lemon Marmalade with Cardamom & Lavender
- Greengage Plum Jam

Pre-order now and we'll ship them to arrive before Mother's Day. Be sure to include a gift message telling your adoring mother just why she's the best!

Send your mom some jam!

From L to R:
- Meyer Lemon-Blood Orange Marmalade with Pastis
- Bergamot Marmalade with Cassis
- Elderberry-Orange Marmalade

Citrus may be waning, but we're still making the most of it!

Members receive three jars, which are frequently flavors that we've made in limited quantity or that are not available on our website. Plus, you're paying only $10 a jar!

Sign up now for: 6 months of jam or 12 months of jam

Last month's Jam Club members received one jar each of:

- Pear-Plum Jam
- Orange-Kumquat Marmalade with Saffron & Cardamom
- Early Summer Peach Marmalade

Yum!

The night will feature live music performances -- including Andrea Hurley and Her Very Attractive Band, who rocked our holiday party! And we'll be there all night for your jam fix. We can't wait!! A portion of our proceeds from the night will go to the Students Rock Foundation.

Purchase tickets here!

To celebrate Marmalade March (yes, that's a thing), we've got a marmalade extravaganza cooked up for y'all! Five of our favorite marmalades are $10 a jar (that's 2 bucks off our usual $12), AND our Marmalade Lover's Gift Set is $2 off as well!

Do your friends like marmalade?
Let them know about our sale!

We are, of course, making Blood Orange-Hibiscus Marmalade for our retail clients to sell (and a little bit for you, too). Yum!

Click to check out our new marmalades!

Now let's make a CARD! »

The method for this "instant book" card comes from How to Make Books.

First you'll need to download the PDF of our hand-designed Valentine: BCF VDay Card

Print out the card on 8.5" x 11" paper -- something with a nice weight to it, but not as heavy as cardstock.

1. Gather your supplies
Card print-out, bone folder (if you have one), scissors, destination envelope

Now it's folding time! Be sure to press all folds well, with your bone folder or your fingernail.

2. Short edge folds
Lay the paper illustrations side DOWN, and fold the 8.5" (short) edges together.
Half a sheet of illustrations will be facing you.
Fold one 8.5" edge back to the crease you just created.
Flip over, and repeat with the reverse side.
You'll have effectively folded the paper into quarters as an accordion.
Don't forget to burnish (heavily crease) these folds well!

3. Long edge fold
Unfold, again placing illustrations facing down.
Now you will fold the paper in half, this time bringing the 11" (long) edges together.
Burnish this fold well.

4. Cutting the crease
Unfold your paper yet again, but this time with illustrations up.
Refold along the very first crease you made, again bringing the 8.5" sides together.
Grab your scissors.
Cut through the crease you just made, but cut ONLY halfway across to the first fold.

5. Opening the book
Unfold again and lay the paper flat, illustrations up.
Pinch along the middle creases that are on both sides of the cut you just made, and lift up.
Pull these creases away from each other (I promise this will work).

6. Finishing the book
You now have four little spokes.
Rearrange them so that the cover is facing you.
Burnish the seam of your book well.
And you are done!

Happy Valentine's Day!
Love, Blue Chair Fruit

Want some extra guidance with your own paper folding? This video is quite helpful.

We're also printing these cards and including them as part of our Valentine's Day Jam Trio, complete with the corresponding flavors.  Click here to learn more!