Thursday, November 05, 2009

UtHC Virtual Jam Swap '09 Round-up!

Photo by Cheri of Kitchen Simplicity

It is here! The round-up from Under the High Chair's very first Virtual Jam Swap!

Exactly five months ago I put out the call for you to send me your jam for a friendly virtual jam swap. Not knowing how you would respond, but with the honourable goal to 'inspire and be inspired', I waited for the submissions to come in for my first ever blogging event.

Ever so slowly, during the heat of July, they started trickling into my inbox. By autumn and the peak of harvest, I had a nice tidy number of contributions. I finally put a deadline for submissions, which lit a fire under a handful of you, and the last jam was swapped just a few days ago.

I was very impressed and thrilled to have twenty-five submissions. 25 scrumptious, sophisticated and stunning submissions.
You all should be proud of yourselves, this is one impressive jam party.

Thank you, thank you, to each and every one of you who contributed your jam or jelly and took the time to help make this event a success.

Without further ado, allow me to introduce you to this year's participants...

The talented Cheri from Kitchen Simplicity gets us off to a rip-roaring start with her sophisticated Grapefruit Cranberry Marmalade. A stunning result from a simple recipe, this marmalade would make wonderful homemade Christmas gifts.

Apple Pie Jam is usually teeth-achingly sweet, but Kim from Flavorista wisely modified the recipe - including doubling the apples - and gave us a yummy Apple Pie Jam no pantry should be without!

Those super-gals at Flavorista have been busy! Contributor Tracey submitted this Apricot Jam, a tribute to childhood summers spent canning along side her mother.

Cookie Baker Lynn took full advantage of her thriving blueberry patch this summer and jarred up some sophisticated Lemon Blueberry Preserves. Luckily for her family, they will be enjoying the flavours of summer all winter long.


Hulling ground cherries is indeed a labor of love, but I'm sure my fellow Montreal blogger, Candace of Cheese and Olive would agree that it is well worth the effort. Her recipe for Ground Cherry Jam is one I'll be bookmarking, making and swirling into homemade vanilla ice cream next summer.

The very creative Cheryl of Backseat Gourmet used a children's book as inspiration for her original Coconut Jam. Now this would be the ideal recipe if you got the canning itch during the winter when all the fresh fruit is hard as rocks.

My last-minute contribution to this swap was a Quebec Pear and Rhubarb Butter with Honey & Green Cardamom. Fruit butters have been an attractive option for me this year as they are sweetened by the slow-cooked fruit and not by a pile of white sugar. Of all the spreads I've made, this is my favorite!

Raise your hand, if you've experienced a jam malfunction! Fortunately, the lovely Melanie from Beck and Call has worked out all the kinks for us in her recipe for Spiced Plum Jam. The addition of fragrant cloves and cinnamon makes it sound all Christmas-y. Sounds like a great gift idea to me.

If you've been searching for a low-sugar, no commercial pectin jam recipe, Robin from Hippo Flambé delivers with her tempting Traditional Strawberry Jam with Cointreau & Drambuie. Thanks, Robin! I'll have mine drizzled over vanilla ice cream, please.

I sighed with envy and my mouth puckered (in a good way) reading about Julie's Nanking Cherry Jelly; don't ask me why, but it seems so romantic to have a cherry tree in your backyard. The ever-industrious author of Dinner with Julie wasn't about to let hers go to waste and the cherries went from tree to table before the birds even had a chance to eat them.

Following in her mother's jam-making footsteps, Michele from Chocolate Teapot recreated a favorite jam, Peach and Apricot, and learned a lot along the way. Sounds like you are on your way to a long and happy life of making jam, Michele!

Lisa from Feeding My Curiosity is a girl after my own heart. Not only did she use the. most. adorable. jars ever, she also incorporated my favorite vice into her recipe for Red Pepper Jam with Tequila. (hint: it's not the peppers).

Thanks to Flavorista contributor Barr for giving me a use for ALL my mint! Every summer my mint patch takes over, but now I can help keep it in check by making Barr's Mint Jelly. Now I just need a side of lamb for my freezer!


I like to think that I'm not the only one who eats jam with a spoon. I mean, it certainly looks like Kelsey, a.k.a The Naptime Chef, has been dipping into her gorgeous Eternal Summer Apricot Jam--and has nearly finished the jar! I certainly wouldn't have been able to stop at just one bite.

If her vibrant photo doesn't grab your attention first, Rumahama's amazing recipe for Peach Brandy Jam will make you sit up and take notice. I'm loving this combination and have to agree with Ruhama when she muses about having to get into a toast habit.

Attempting to multitask while making jam for the first time may be not such a hot idea, as budding gourmet and green blogger Andrea of A.O.K (Okay with Andrea) recently discovered. Her Raspberry-Apple Jam recipe sounds delish, but did it make the cut? You'll have to read about her misadventures to find out. Hey, there's even a free wine tip!

Now I haven't tried my hand at making marmalade yet, but Cathy's mouth-watering Three Citrus Marmalade and reassuring step-by-step instructions leave me with no excuse not to. It's obvious this author of Bread Making with The Bread Experience knows her way around canning as well as bread baking. She sure can dress up a jam jar, too!

Don't you just love the flavour combination of this Plum Cinnamon Jam? Maria of Two Peas and Their Pod used her own backyard plums for this vibrant freezer jam. Now I'd love to try a plum-cinnamon fruit leather... Maria?

By the looks of things, Kimberly made a good move when she captured the essence of spring with this Rhubarb Jam. Her clear step-by-step instructions over at Flavorista had me salivating and I've vowed to turn more rhubarb into jam next spring instead of using it up in my usual steady diet of crisps and crumbles.

Gabrielle from Shop Wise Bags Innovative Gourmet rounded up the kids and went on a canning marathon. Among the bounty was Peach Raspberry Marmalade or 'Killer Jam' as it was nicknamed. Sounds killer good to me, Gabrielle! Way to get those kiddos in the kitchen.

Culinary Travels Of A Kitchen Goddess author George's first autumnal preserve of the season was an apple and plum jelly which she named Early Autumn Blush. It gained its name because the jelly is a gorgeous pale rose colour, which reminded her of the pale red blush hue of the apples. Just gorgeous, George!

I would love to request a tutorial from Simona of Briciole, as she sounds like she has the fine details of jam making down pat. The colours alone on her Conserva di Frutta (fruit preserves) are stunning; I can only imagine how colourful they are on the palate.


Elizabeth from Guilty Kitchen doesn't seem like your Jane-average canning woman and the Not yo Mama's Apple Butter she submitted is sick --in the most awesome of ways. I'm loving this recipe and will definitely be trying it before apple season is over.

My mouth watered at this dark and seductive Bing Cherry Jam from fellow Montreal blogger, Elaine of A Series of Kitchen Experiments. Elaine & friends gobbled up this jam so fast there was none left to bring to my actual swap! That's OK, it looks so good, we understand how it disappeared so quickly!



Kelly from No Empty Chairs showed us that a healthy choice can be great with her Low-Sugar Peach Butter. I'm ALL about the fruit butters, and this decadent recipe is on my short list for next summer.


All Jam Swap logos by Jessica Spring

That's it!! Have you been inspired?

Please share your feedback, encouragement or questions in the comments section below. I'd LOVE to hear what you think....and if this is an event you would like to see happen again next year.

I've got this crazy idea in my head that I am going to attempt to can my way though this round-up next summer. Wouldn't that be something?

I'd have to give up gardening, that's for sure.

33 comments:

Hippo Flambe said...

Aimée, You can still garden and can all of these. Just measure and prep the fruit for the recipe and mix it with the sugar that is called for. Then you can freeze it to can over the winter. It is way better to hang over a hot jam pot in the winter anyway.

These look amazing! You did a super job as well. Yes please to a swap next year, although it could be like the daring bakers and have a different blog as a hots each year.

-Robin

Cheri said...

Everyones submissions are so great! I am excited to view the recipes. I think it would be awesome if this was a yearly event! It was so much fun!

Nichole said...

I've totally been inspired! I have now decided to make jam for Christmas gifts. I had been wanting some homemade ideas and when I saw some of those recipes canned in some oh-so-cute jars, my mind was made up. My question though is how do you can in those cute little jars? I've only ever canned with standard canning jars that have a seal on them. Any advice would be most helpful!

Elizabeth said...

Look at all those awesome preserves!! I think I'll have to expand my horizons for next year. SOme of those did look delectable enough to pour over ice cream, or swirl into some homemade yogurt. Two of my most favourite ways to use jams and jellies. Thanks Aimée!

Maria said...

Great round up! I want to try them all! Thanks for hosting this, it was fun to participate!

Aimée said...

Hi Robin- VERY interesting idea...and thanks for your submission!

Hi Cheri- The pleasure was all mine. Be sure to follow through with the recipes--each one has such a lovely story.

Hi Nichole- WECK has some precious canning jars (http://www.weckcanning.com/)
I believe they work just like regular jars.

Happy to have inspired.

Hi Liz- yep, consider dessert taken care of with a pantry stocked with jam!
Thanks for your submission!

Hippo Flambe said...

btw, when preserving fruit to can later make sure to write on the bag exactly what is on the bag (quantities of fruit and sugar) as well as where to find the recipe. Mystery canning is not fun!!

Melissa said...

This is awesome! I hope you have it next year. I'm going out to buy canning supplies, right now!

librariane said...

Wow--this is a fantastic list and I know what you mean about wanting to make all of them.

I hope you'll leave a permanent link on your side bar for easy access. And to see what would be different for next year when you do it again!

Nutmeg Nanny said...

Oh my goodness everything looks amazing! I totally wish I would have participated. Next year I swear :)

A. said...

so much yumminess. thx for encouraging me to try jam making... one step closer to being domestic for REAL :-)

Elaine said...

Oh my goodnesss, Aimee..these are mouthwatering entries! I think I might just try ALL of them when I get my hands on some fruits.

George@CulinaryTravels said...

Aimee what a fabulous round up. Such lovely recipes, many of which I've bookmarked to try.

Thank you for including mine!

Aimée said...

Maria- Ah ha, so you're inspired too! Is this the new Jam & Jelly Project?

Hi Robin- Sounds like you're the expert. Thanks!

Hi Melissa. Great! Have fun!

Hi Ruhama- Good idea! Thanks so much.

Hi Nanny- yep, next year it is!

Hi Andrea- Anytime, girlfriend.

Hi Elaine- Thanks! I totally know what you mean..

Hi George- The pleasure was mine. Thank you for your submission.

Kelsey said...

Fabulous round-up! Now I am going to click through to these sites and start printing recipes!!

Terrie said...

This was a great success, Aimee! Congratulations! Love you comments and all the great pics. You obviously have a wonderfully talented and creative following! KIU!!! (keep it up!)

Roving Lemon said...

I'm having canning envy, as it's totally the wrong season here! Going to trawl through these and stockpile some ideas....

Hilary said...

Coconut jam?? I'm intrigued!

Barbara said...

This was a great idea and I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed this posting. All those lovely, delicous jams!!! I am so impressed.

Kimberly said...

Oh this is so fun!

Many thanks to you Aimee for compiling and cooking up a virtual jam swap. I could almost taste the other submissions as I clicked through. Yum. Yum and some more yum.

Gabrielle said...

Thank you so much!! They all look scrumptious! It's a wonderful idea and I'm honored to have joined!!

Simona Carini said...

Wow! I have just scanned down the post and I am amazed at the variety of the contributions. So many ideas for more jam adventures. Thanks Aimée for the great roundup.

Cookie baker Lynn said...

Wonderful jam swap, Aimée. So many beautiful jams to try! Thanks for the great job presenting them all. I just wish that we could have all gotten together in person for the swap. How fun would that have been?

Unknown said...

It is spring here. I am inspired. Thank you.

Deanna said...

Jars of jam are too beautiful to be stashed away in a cabinet or cellar! This was a great idea for a roundup!

Emily said...

So much jam! My head is spinning. They all sound amazing. They really, really do.

Thanks for putting all of this together. Great blog post.

Treehouse Chef said...

I love the idea of a virtual jam swap. Thanks for all of the great recipes!

Julia said...

Hey- from a confessed jelly making fool, I am so impressed and thrilled to see such great entries. I love jam swaps! I will have to keep checking in for next year's. Cheers!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

To have even on of those to spread on my crumpets in the morning....sigh....

Pat Steer (Gaelen) said...

Aimee, I love your jam swap idea, and you're not the only one who wants to can her way through them all. I've got some frozen coconut pulp and that might be an amazing starting point. I wish I'd seen your call earlier; I'd have happily sent in an entry.
Yes, please do this again - and I'll see if I can muster a similar effort down here in New York.

Lani K said...

Hi Aimée!
I bumped into your blog while searching for ground cherry jam. Yay, thank you!
I've posted recipes for crab apple jam, plum jam, apple-rhubarb jelly, and rosehip-rhubarb jam which is our favorite!
Happy pantry-filling!
~ Lani K

PS - LOVE the name of your blog!

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