The seasons are changing, and so are our jam cravings! We find ourselves lusting after a heartier jam and marmalade come autumn, and we've got a new Morning Toast 2-Pack to reflect our new favorites:
We love the rich, tart flavor of Damson Jam on toast (or stirred into yogurt), and our Orange-Kumquat Marmalade is a sweet marmalade with just enough kick to shake off a cold winter morning. Plus, these two jars are available at a special price. Yum!
WOW, we had such a blast at the Eat Real Festival this year! We teamed up with some favorite local artisans and put our jam in some pretty yummy situations. Curious about the appearances our jams made? We're glad you asked!
1. Our lovely jam stand where we were sampling all of our ERF flavors! We met some great new friends and had a blast talking jam all day.
2. Saturday's Craft Collaboration with Starter Bakery. Yep, that's our Blood Orange-Hibiscus Marmalade and Meyer Lemon-Blood Orange Marmalade with Rose Geranium in two different Kouign Aman.
3. Sunday's Craft Collaboration with Mike the Bejkr. Three different breads, three different jams. Kamut bread with Early Girl Tomato Jam. Farro Bread with Peacotum Jam. Pain Biologique with Strawberry-Pluot Jam. To say Mike's bread is our favorite is an understatement!
Other fun things we did: Rachel gave a stone fruit talk with Fran of Blossom Bluff and Michele Polzine, and served our Damson Jam spooned over peach ice cream. And our marmalade was incorporated into a yummy cocktail!
Can't wait until next year!
California is made for fruit lovers -- a long growing season, moderate temperatures through winter, and a brigade of farmers and gardeners committed to nurturing heirloom fruit varieties.
Here at Blue Chair Fruit, our greatest joy is celebrating California produce by taking fruit at the peak of its season and preserving it to enjoy throughout the year. And we want to share our favorite California flavors with you!
Our California Preserves 3-Pack contains one jar each of:
We hope you love these special California fruits as much as we do!
In case you haven't gathered, we're big fans of jam and toast here at Blue Chair Fruit.
To fuel your obsession, we're offering a special Morning Toast 2-Pack containing a jar each of our two favorite flavors. This limited-edition set will be available until a new "favorite flavor" comes along (translation: about a month).
Curious about our favorite ways to enjoy our morning toast? Here's what the BCF team has to say:
Jamie: "Apple-Meyer Lemon Marmalade with butter on Acme's Pain de Mie. With coffee. Perfect when friends are in town!"
Luz: "Bergamot Marmalade on toasted raisin bread with a lot of butter, and sips of saffron & honey tea just for decadence's sake."
Rachel: "Levain with almond-hazelnut butter and Rhubarb Jam with Plums & Ginger. Plus Kusmi Tea's Troika."
Jo: "Olallieberry Jam and foie gras mousse from Fabrique Delices on orange zest scented brioche -- with spicy black pepper chai with a smidge of Katz (black button sage) honey and splash of Strauss milk." What Jo only mentioned later is that she pipes on the foie gras, because her brioche is SO delicate. Baroque, indeed!
Kate: "Olallieberry Jam. On the tiny toasts you see above, because then my jam-to-toast ratio is about 1:1. And I MUST have my morning cup of Kusmi's Bourbon Vanilla Tea."
Hey, Bay Area jammers! Join Punk Domestics and Blue Chair Fruit for a Bay Area food swap, plus the chance to show off what you've got and meet other local preservation geeks. Hey, Bay Area jammers!
On Friday July 15, we'll be gathering at the Blue Chair Fruit kitchens to sample each other's wares and chat preservation with local amateurs and professionals alike. Best of all, the event will culminate in a DIY food exchange, but with a catch: It's a free-market exchange. Want that bottle of limoncello? It might cost you three jars of blueberry jam. Or vice versa. You negotiate the value between each other. It all comes down to what the market bears.
Come on down -- the party starts at 6pm. You'll want to arrive right on time so you get a chance to try everything. All manner of preserved food is welcome: jams and jellies, liqueurs, charcuterie, homemade cheese, pickles, or anything else you've spent time preserving!
Please bring as much of your favorite preserved item(s) as you want to trade (including serving utensils), plus enough to share with other guests. Gotta get 'em hooked with a free sample first, of course.
*The BCF kitchen's entrance is on 47th St. and there should be ample street parking. Alternately, we're a short walk from MacArthur BART!*
P.S. Unsure what to make between now and then? Check out Punk Domestics for all kinds of inspiration: they've got everything from pickle recipes to tips on making cheese at home!
Here's what your dad wants for Father's Day: Jam. And marmalade. And bourbon.
Our Father's Day Bourbon Two-Pack is just the ticket! This power combo of our Spiced Bourbon-Tomato Conserve and Bourbon'd Lemon Marmalade offers the manliest preserves we have. Talk about a killer breakfast!
Why give your dad a tie or power tools when you can give the gift of tasty food? Our Spiced-Bourbon Tomato Conserve is the secret ingredient for an awesome grilled cheese or BLT, and Bourbon'd Lemon Marmalade is like a whiskey sour, but better because it spreads on toast!
We can guarantee Father's Day delivery if we receive your order by 3PM PST this Wednesday, June 13, when you select USPS Priority shipping!
Is your dad a true jam fiend? He might like: A 6-Month Jam Club membership, our Marmalade Lover's Gift Pack, or a Mauviel copper jam pan to make his own preserves!
The most frequent questions we receive (other than "What's the difference between jam and marmalade?") are from people wondering how one enjoys jam or marmalade other than on toast -- or maybe on scones at teatime. While there is surely no better start to the morning than your favorite jam on toast, preserves have myriad applications beyond bread or baked goods!
Morning oatmeal is a fiber-filled way to begin the day. We've come to love our morning oatmeal with a generous helping of our Cranberry Jam with Pluots & Vanilla. Whole cranberries add a delightful tartness to this wholesome breakfast, while pluots help add a bit of necessary sweetness. While this combination is fantastic with steel-cut oats, it's a fantastic way to take quick-cook oats from so-so to stellar.
Who says jam needs to have only sweet applications? One of our favorite lunches is a grilled cheese sandwich -- with Spiced Bourbon-Tomato Conserve. Tomatoes add a bit of sweetness to complement your favorite cheese (we love a nice sharp cheddar), and the added candied ginger in this conserve brings a bit of surprise. An easy way to take your sandwich to an entirely different level!
Rachel in particular really loves this next one: tasty toast with a smear of ricotta and a dollop (or two) of Strawberry-Rose Jam. Add a few twists of black pepper and you have a light, sophisticated snack. YUM.
What unique and non-traditional jam or marmalade pairings have you been enjoying lately?
We're still offering our Mother's Day gift packs, but we know you may want to give your mom something even more special that she can continue enjoy through the year!
Our Jam Club is the perfect gift for your Mom! We'll send her one jar each of three of our favorite flavors in every shipment; you can gift her 6 months of preserves (3 shipments total) or a whole year of jam and marmalade (6 shipments total)! Note her email address in your gift message upon checkout and we'll be sure to notify her -- by Mother's Day -- of your generous gift!
Our last shipment was one jar each of: Strawberry-Rose Jam, Seven-Citrus Marmalade, and Orange-Kumquat Marmalade with Cardamom. We frequently send flavors in the Jam Club that are not available on our website, so this is the best way to ensure your mother gets the best preserves we have to offer. Read more about our Jam Club options here!
Blue Chair Fruit now has even more shipping options for your convenience!
Customers in the Blue Chair Fruit store may now select FedEx Ground upon checkout -- this is a bit less expensive than the USPS Priority we've been using. If you feel like you can stand a longer wait for your jam (2-8 business days), then this is your best option! Of course, we still use USPS Priority, and have a few FedEx Express options for your last-minute jam needs.
Just a reminder that we generally process orders Monday through Friday. Any Express order received by 3pm will be processed that day. We are unable to process orders on weekends.
Here's to cheaper jam shipping!
Dancy tangerines are some of the sweetest citrus winter has to offer, and one of our favorites to preserve!
This preserve's delicate texture, perfectly spoonable and full of thin slices of Dancy tangerines, takes a scone from delicious to sublime. We love that this preserve has a bright color and bright flavor -- it makes us smile every time we steal a little nibble straight from the jar!
Dancy Tangerine Preserves will be coming with us to the market this weekend, along with a mixture of old and new favorites.
All Markets (Grand Lake 3/5 & Temescal 3/6):
We hear there's a chance of rain this weekend, but don't let that keep you from visiting our market stand to try these flavors! Besides, you can reward yourself for braving the rain by choosing a jar to enjoy from the comfort of your own home. See you at the market!
