Caroline Martin owns an orchard and fruit stand.
Tammy Hardwick is well-known for tasty jams and jellies.
Put them together and you have the Creston Valley Jam Company, through which they offer products made with fruits both expected, including peaches, strawberries and raspberries, and unusual, such as elderberries and crabapples. The rare and unexpected ingredients are making it popular.
“This is why it’s selling,” said Hardwick, who also manages the Creston Museum.
The wide range of local fruit is also a key selling point with customers.
“It’s amazing how many varieties you get just with the fruit in the valley,” said Martin, who owns Cherrybrook Farms with her husband, Gordon.
The idea to join forces was Martin’s, who saw Hardwick giving away over 400 jars of jam she made while preparing Creston Valley Fall Fair entries a couple of years ago. They could be sold, she thought, particularly Hardwick’s award-winning crabapple jelly.
“Anybody who grew up on the Prairies loves crabapple jelly and can’t find it in stores,” said Hardwick.
Growing up in the West Kootenay, Hardwick helped her mom make jam, and began using her mom’s equipment after she arrived in the valley.
“Since I moved to Creston, I’ve become the purveyor of jam for the whole family,” she said. “I’ve got Christmas gifts for the whole family. My nieces and nephews all get personalized jars.”
When the museum’s maintenance worker gave her a banana box of cherries, Hardwick, who had expected only an ice cream bucket full, made jam and gave most of it to her sister, who paid her back with raspberries and blueberries — a lot of raspberries and blueberries. Hint hint.
Much of the fruit used in Creston Valley Jam Company’s products is “imperfect” — too misshapen, bruised or otherwise damaged to sell at fruit stands, which typically see about 30 per cent wasted. Considering the number of orchards and growers in the valley, Hardwick and Martin’s venture could — and, perhaps, should — become the first of many.
“There’s a huge market for it,” said Martin.
Because some of the fruit used in the jams and jellies is available in small quantities, the selection offered is constantly changing — their first batch of mulberry was scheduled to be processed this week. A recent batch came from Maglio plums, a variety developed in Nelson, and random excess fruit is tossed together to create “jumble” jam, a dozen jars of which were recently sold to one customer — while they were still warm.
“It feels good when I can’t keep up with the demand,” said Hardwick, who is currently looking for unsprayed dandelions to create yet another variety.
In addition to allowing for full fruit flavours, the small batches make it possible for new kinds of jam to be made quickly — Hardwick’s record for a batch of jelly is 24 minutes, and 28 for a batch of jam.
“I have it down to a science,” she said.
“We have it down to a science, too — we sell them quite fast,” said Martin with a laugh.
The thing is, people love homemade jam, but other things get in the way of making it themselves.
“A lot of people don’t have time to make it,” said Martin.
At least, they think they don’t, added Hardwick.
“Just do two or three batches a week and you’ll be a pro,” she said.
For information about the products or about donating unwanted fruit, call 250-428-3070.