From the Stand · Lloyd, FL
Two new jars hit the shelf this week — a brand-new Florida Wild Blackberry Jelly we put up from berries foraged right here on our own land, and a fresh batch of our small-batch Spiced Peach Jam.
Late spring out here means one thing along our fence lines and field edges: wild blackberries. They come on all at once, and if you do not get to them, the birds surely will. So over a few mornings we went up and down the property with buckets and stained fingers and picked more than forty pounds of them — all wild, all growing on their own, no rows and no spray.
Florida wild blackberries are smaller and tarter than the big cultivated kind you find at the grocery store, and that is exactly what makes them worth the effort. That bright, slightly sharp flavor is what gives the jelly its character — the honest taste of a berry that nature perfected long before anyone planted it in a row. A true taste of old Florida.
Wild blackberries are full of seeds, so we strain the cooked fruit down to a clear, deep-purple juice and set it into a smooth jelly — all of that wild flavor, none of the seeds. It is a true forage-to-jar product, and there is only as much of it as we were able to pick.
Right alongside the blackberry jelly, we put up a new run of Spiced Peach Jam — one of our seasonal favorites and one folks ask about by name. Ripe peaches cooked down slow with cinnamon, clove, a touch of allspice, and a whisper of vanilla and rum. It is warm and cozy in a way a plain peach jam never quite manages.
It is wonderful on a hot biscuit or stirred into morning oatmeal, but it really earns its keep next to sharp cheese on a cracker, or spooned over pork or a wheel of warm brie.
Both are available now at the stand every other Saturday — and the wild blackberry jelly is a limited run, so once this batch is sold, that's it until next year's berries come on. Reserve a jar ahead and we'll set it aside for you.
Reserve a jar →