Beginnings

Sunrise over Plum Island.

One of my favorite childhood memories is going to Ipswich to visit my grandmother. She had a small cottage on Plum Island Sound, right behind the island. My aunt who lived down the street would call us in the morning and say, “The berries are ripe and ready for picking. Come pick some for your breakfast.” We would grab some containers and walk down the street to Aunt Edla and Uncle Carl’s house to pick blackberries, blueberries and raspberries from his many bushes. We’d go home and make muffins, pancakes and many other delicious treats with the berries we had just picked.

Mom learned how to make homemade jams from Aunt Edla, and Mom taught me. I loved making strawberry jam with my mom. We had our own little tradition. After we picked strawberries we would go home and wash, hull and slice enough for us both to have a bowl of cornflakes with strawberries on top. If we didn’t have any cornflakes, we would stop at the store on our way home, regardless of how we looked — our hands, faces and clothes smudged with dirt and stained red from the berries.

After we enjoyed the fruits of our labor with our special “snack,” we got right to work making strawberry jam. If you have ever made homemade jam you will know there is nothing like smelling that delicious aroma as the berries are cooking over the stove. Then, of course, we always had to sample some on a piece of fresh bread or buttered toast! Yum!! Once you’ve tasted homemade jam you never go back to the store brands.

I have been making jams and jellies for many years now. At first I made the usual strawberry, grape, peach or plum, but I began to experiment with different blends of fruits. I wanted to create flavors that one wouldn’t typically find at the grocery store. I usually gave them out as gifts, but my friends began to request them, and because the cost can get expensive for the fruit, jars and pectin I had to start charging a price for them.

One day, a few years ago, one of my brothers called me and asked if I would teach him how to make my jam. I asked him why, and he said when he visits Mom and Dad, he looks for my jam in the fridge for his English muffins. One thing led to another, and we decided to start a business together. As we sat enjoying our coffee and jam on toast at the table overlooking Plum Island, we planned our little company on a dinner napkin, and Plum Island Jams was born.

We’ve come along way since we’ve started a few years ago. It has been a slow process, but we have over 15 flavors to date. Because we are a very small company, and our resources are limited, we are only introducing 5 flavors to start. We’ve recently added two seasonal flavors and one very special rare flavor: Black Gooseberry, using tart and tasty fruit grown nearby at Russell Orchards in Ipswich.

We’ve finally decided on our label, which we are very happy with. We’ve been selling at craft fairs and hope to be in farmer’s markets soon. We are working towards our wholesale license and the ability to sell out of state, but for now, head over to our online store and check out the flavors we have to offer!

— Ruth, Keith and Omar.