Jam Vinaigrette
If a jar of jam is running low, it’s the perfect time to make a jam-based salad dressing. Any flavor will do.
Traffic Jam: Local Jams Offer Sustainability, Superior Flavor, and a Whole Lot Less Sugar, Too.
Whether you’re spreading a fruit-based jam on your favorite toast or using it as a secret ingredient for a salad dressing, jams are the new Swiss Army Knife in today’s kitchen. They’re that versatile. When choosing your next jar, skip the Smucker’s in favor of one of these small-batch makers.
CHRISTINA MASER
BASED IN LANCASTER
Gretchen Christina Maser’s intro to jam-making began as a home-based business more than 20 years ago. Her products are now PA Preferred, and she is a mainstay at the annual Pennsylvania Farm Show every January in Harrisburg. Maser explains that jams need to have an obvious texture from the fruit so that you can see, feel, and taste the star ingredient whose name appears as the “star of the jar.”
It’s the flavor that wins accolades—but, behind the scenes, values like sustainability matter just as much. “We use all parts of the fruit. The fruit does not have to look perfect to taste delicious.” Berry tops and stems, parsley stems, and fruit peels are fed to the hens she raises in her backyard. Fresh herb stems like those from rosemary and sage are dried and then used as fire starters. She also uses certified organic sugar that is vegan.
For Maser, the joy of business comes from actually making the jam. “What really pushes my happy button is when we work with fruits that are in season. It’s the aroma of the fresh fruit and the constant snacking that energize everyone,” she says. If a particular fruit isn’t in season, she’s not making jam from it, regardless of the demand. When she ends up with more fruit than she needs at a given moment, she’ll flash-freeze the overage and use it later.
Editor’s note: Shortly before going to press, we learned of the untimely passing of Gretchen Christina Maser. A family business, Christina Maser Co. will continue under the direction of Gretchen's daughter Nora Maser. Culinary development will remain in the hands of longtime chef Brendan McNulty to create the same award-winning jams described in this article.
SMALL BATCH KITCHEN
BASED IN LANDSDALE
Sheila Rhodes is a farm girl at heart. She grew up on her parents’ 40-acre farm in Maryland. As a kid, she learned how to put up fresh produce. In 2014, she and her husband moved to Harleysville, PA, where she converted an acre of land into a self-sufficient homestead.
That’s where Small Batch Kitchen was born. She canned plenty of fruits and vegetables with good results—but she wasn’t pleased with the outcome of her earliest jams. She was looking for certain textures and flavors, not to mention a lot less sugar than most jam recipes call for. Years of trial and error helped her achieve the results she wanted with the perfect amount of sweetness. Most jams contain about 12 grams of sugar, more than two teaspoons per three-teaspoon serving. “We make several varieties with less than a teaspoon,” she says.
Rhodes prioritizes sustainability in her business as well. She cuts down on food waste by buying imperfect fruit that probably wouldn’t be selected by shoppers at a farmers’ market or grocery store. She explains, “Using second-quality produce—soft berries, blemished skin on stone fruits—is good for the body and soul.” Rhodes believes preventing perfectly tasty and nutritious fruit from going to waste is a way to respect the produce and the farmers, too.
HABITAT FARMS
BASED IN CHESTNUT HILL
Jars of their jams read “This Jam is for the Birds” because Habitat Farms has a mission to help farmers plant wildlife habitat on their land. The artsy label of their jam jumps off the shelves at stores like Weavers Way. But it’s what’s on the inside that counts, and the flavors are just as arresting as the label design. The cherry apricot jam, paired with almond butter, takes the classic PB&J to heaven.
Beyond the wow flavor factor, this local maker has a compelling mission. Owner Andy Carrigan and his business partner Toby Lloyd, who oversees farm operations, work tirelessly to increase biodiversity on the farms they work with. Habitat farms truly stand behind the slogan printed on their products: “Every jar of jam you buy helps maintain and plant new acres of beneficial grasses and flowers which support birds, bees, and other pollinators that help grow our food.” Knowing you’re supporting this important effort makes every taste of their jams sweeter. “We are putting some good back into the world by helping to boost bee populations while helping local farmers be better environmental partners,” says Carrigan.
Carrigan describes the jams as having a unique flavor that draws out the natural sweetness of local fruit. Jams are carefully blended in a special way to ensure they’re smooth and consistent. “Our jams have half the sugar of regular jams because so much of the sweetness is derived from the natural flavors from real cherries, apricots, strawberries, and plums,” he says.
FISHTOWN PICKLE PROJECT
BASED IN FISHTOWN
Wife and husband Niki Toscani, RD, and chef Mike Sicinski are well known for their company, Fishtown Pickle Project. But how on earth did they get into jam?
Enter produce whisperer Vincent Finazzo of Riverwards Produce. The idea was simple and genius: Finazzo culled berries that weren’t ready for prime time in his stores. Sicinski applied his culinary creativity to develop a four-ounce jar of berry jam that benefited a not-for-profit. A total win-win—truly not a surprise from this trio.
In the summer of 2023, Sicinski produced 216 jars of Hot Berry Jam using his original recipe. Proceeds from this limited run would benefit the Attic Youth Center, a nonprofit that serves LGBTQ youth. This wildly popular picante jam will be available again this summer at both locations of Riverwards Produce, and a limited quantity will be for sale at a few select farmers’ markets. “There was a lot of joy in creating these jams,” saysToscani. “When you have a passion, it drives everything else that you do.”
These jams are special. The first ingredient in every jar is fruit. All are preservative-free. This is real food. But even better, their makers have heart. They care about the relationships they cultivate with local growers, suppliers (down to the jars and tops), and their community at large.
JAM FOR A GOOD CAUSE
Small Batch Kitchen sells a good portion of its jams in Lansdale at Home on Main. It’s an emporium of art, furniture, housewares, linens, and more. Proceeds from the shop benefit Marvin’s Home, a 501(c)(3) organization that creates homes for homeless youth and young adults who have aged out of the foster care system.
LOCAL SMALL-BATCH JAM BUYING GUIDE
Here’s where to find all the jams.
CHRISTINA MASER
SOUTH PHILLY FOOD CO-OP
2031 S. Juniper St.
215.920.1100
www.southphillyfood.coop
PHILLY FOOD WORKS
215.221.6245
www.phillyfoodworks.com
THE ROUNDS
www.therounds.co
SMALL BATCH KITCHEN
LONGWOOD GARDENS
1001 Longwood Rd., Kennett Square
610.388.1000
www.longwoodgardens.org
PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART
2600 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy.
215.763.8100
www.philamuseum.org
KIMBERTON WHOLE FOODS
Multiple locations
kimbertonwholefoods.com
HABITAT FARMS
MOM’S ORGANIC MARKET
Multiple locations
www.momsorganicmarket.com
HERMAN’S COFFEE
1313 S. 3rd St.
www.hermanscoffee.com
SPRUCE HILL PROVISIONS
4529 Baltimore Ave.
445.888.3215
FISHTOWN PICKLE PROJECT
RIVERWARDS PRODUCE
Multiple locations
www.riverwardsproduce.com
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