We are fan girls of Girls Meets Dirt. There we've said it! It was always on our wish list to carry these uber cool and delicious jam and preserves made in the Orcas in our shop. We met Audra and her delightful team for the first time in San Francisco last year and they were so friendly to let us try all their delightful jams. :)
They make many of their jams from trees grown by small family farmers & homesteaders– many varietals come heritage trees more than 100 years old. Their preserves and jams are made old-school ways with organic unrefined cane sugar, a squeeze of organic lemon, and fresh herbs from their garden. There's no commercial pectin in any of them and it is all done slow food way with time and loads of love and patience.
All Handmade on Orcas Island; 7.75oz
Island Plum Spoon Preserve
Orcas Island’s beloved Italian Plums (Prune Alley, in the middle of town, used to be a country lane through an orchard of Italian prune trees) shine in this well-rounded preserve-accented with garden grown anise hyssop. Deep purple, rich, with just a hint of licorice from the anise hyssop, this was among the first preserves we made – following a bounty of plums from Founder Audra’s farmette tree her first season here.
Ingredients: Italian plums, organic cane sugar, organic lemon juice, anise hyssop
Shiro Plum with Mint Spoon Preserve
We love the brightness of this Asian varietal (an original farmette tree) – and find it pairs fabulously with mint, freshly picked from our kitchen garden. Inspired by a patch up mint growing wild by the Shiro tree- what grows together does indeed, go together.
This preserve vies for most versatile – awesome with toast, excellent with cheese, and perfect for anything you’d use a mint sauce on (pork, chicken, or lamb). For a simple appetizer, serve it alongside goat cheese, or gussy it up with a little prosciutto. Serve straight from the jar with pork or lamb chops. Go nuts! Reduce wine, butter, shallots, add half a jar plus a pinch of salt and glaze a few duck breasts during the last five minutes of cooking.
Ingredients: shiro plums, organic cane sugar, organic lemon juice, mint leaves
Rhubarb Lavender Spoon Preserve
This deep pink preserve is gorgeous with soft, creamy cow’s milk cheeses, a buttered baguette, or dolloped over panna cotta or ice cream. Is your mouth watering yet? It's also been known to play nice stirred into a bit of bubbly for a special kind of 'toast'.
Pear Balsamic Spoon Preserve
Crafted with Bartlett pears from heirloom orchards and reduced down with organic aged balsamic vinegar. GMD Founder Audra began making this preserve after discovering her neighbors 120+ year old Bartlett orchard and their gracious offer to lend the pears in exchange for jam.
This is super yummy with any funky cheese and over ice cream too. Or play around – add a few glugs of balsamic to a teaspoonful, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and minced shallots and puree it together for a quick, rich vinaigrette for a salad (topped with blue cheese, fresh pear slices, and crispy shallots). Spoon it over a wedge of Rogue River Blue with wafer thin crackers or fresh pear slices for an intensely satisfying cheese course.
Ingredients: Bartlett pears, organic cane sugar, organic quince juice, organic aged balsamic vinegar, organic lemon juice