Our Jam Lady Marylin Ritter is a woman on a mission. She is busy.
“From sun up to sun down she is plotting
her next jamming or pickling manouver. ”
Her tomato relish steals the show at estabar and her seasonal jams make a colourful and tasty parade throughout the year. Strawberry always; Mulberry in Spring; Apricot in Summer; Fig and Macadamia in Autumn and Orange Marmelade in Winter.
I’m trying to remember how we discovered Marylin. Somewhere along the line someone dropped her name in a discussion about relish. And I’m glad they did. It’s not easy to find great relish. There are plenty on the shelves, but I’ve not found any under flourescant lights that are truly tasty. I am rarely disappointed by the home-made variety.
And that’s what Marylins is. She started jamming, pickling and making chutneys and relishes in 1977 using recipes handed down from women in her family. The impetus for her to begin was a sick child who couldn’t tolerate preservatives in commercial or processed food.
With that compelling experience and a background in pediatric nursing, Marylin has some strong ideas about the impact of preservatives, food colourings and additives on health of our children
Marylin has a cottage garden with fruit trees and vines and a mental map of her neighbourhood and beyond where at just the right time of the year she will find and fleece unattended fruit trees.
We use her Strawberry Jam all year round and then choose a second jam for each season. In Spring we have Mulberry, in Summer we have Apricot, in Autumn we have Fig and Macadamia and in Winter we have Orange Marmelade.
Her Tomato Relish steals the show at estabar, bringing us frequently back to Marylins door. Can we have some more?
