Happy as a Jam
Today, we’re not going to focus on cheese, can you believe it?? But rather on cheese’s bestie, jam. And even more particularly, V Smiley Jams. Now, this is going to break my jam-loving mother’s heart, but I’m typically not the biggest jam fan. Sometimes, she and I have breakfast together and she has a crisp piece of toast spread with butter and her favorite strawberry jam (if it’s ever out of stock at the shop, I can tell she loves me a little less) and it looks UHmazing. When she takes a bite, crunchy crunch crunch - my mouth waters. But when I make myself the same toast, I’m slightly disappointed. Like it’s good, but I am not on a bliss cloud like my mom. That is, until I found V Smiley Preserves.
V Smiley has been making jam since 2013 when she moved back to her family’s farm in New Haven, Vermont. When she first got back, there was much work to do. Her father had died years before and things fell into some disrepair so V, her partner Amy, and her mother worked hard to spruce up the place. Part of that effort was adding more fruit trees and berry bushes so V could use her own fruit in her jam. Whatever she doesn’t grow, she gets from a nearby farm in Middlebury, although she has to go a little further afield for her citrus. Alas, lemons cannot withstand that lovely Vermont winter.
The thing that makes V Smiley jams especially unique is that they are sweetened with honey. And you know what’s hard? Making preserves. You know what’s harder? Making preserves with honey. White sugar, the most common jam sweetener, is easier to handle because it is a dry product; the water content in honey makes it difficult to achieve the right jam consistency. I appreciate that V is willing to tackle this challenge because the honey adds complexity that has converted me into quite the jam lover. I also really appreciate how creative her flavors are in general – Smoky and Spicy Heirloom Tomato, Pear Quince and Fig, and Lavender Blackberry Rhubarb are three of my favorites. She often leaves a chunkier texture so you can actually bite into juicy bits of fruit.
I do like it spread on buttered toast, Strawberry Rosemary Black Currant is my favorite for that, but to really see what this jam can do, pair it up! The Tomato jam is incredible on a breakfast sandwich. Heated, the Montmorency Cherry September Plum makes a great sauce for lamb. Pear Quince and Fig goes with preeeetty much any cheese, but we especially love it with Manchego, Tres Leches or Casa de Mendevil Velho. Enjoy!
For the love of cheese and jam plans,
Kiri
P.S. You know what goes really well with jam? Biscuits. You know who makes great biscuits? Edna Lewis. Don’t know who Edna Lewis is? She is one of the champions of southern cooking. Check out this article by Francis Lam (one of my major food world crushes). Maybe have some biscuits and jam on the side while you’re reading it.
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/01/magazine/edna-lewis-and-the-black-roots-of-american-cooking.html