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Christmas Jam rests upon a freshly baked slice of bread.
by Francine Black
Making Christmas jam, a delicious mix of strawberries, cranberries, peaches, organic sugar and exotic spices! I can well recall my children as tots taking a big bite of jammy toast and coming away with their tiny lips wreathed in red, fingers sticky, and little mouths eager for the next big chomp! I suspect they were just one example of the joy of jam that hearkens back thousands and thousands of years!
Jam making dates all the way back to Paleolithic times (the Stone Age) when fruit was preserved with wild honey. As we know, honey contains no moisture, so it preserves any food submerged in it.
Eons later in 4th century AD, we read the first recorded recipe for jam in Marcus Gavius Aspicius’ cookbook. You may remember him from previous posts about spices. When the West was introduced to sugar-- thanks once again to Crusaders returning from the Middle East-- the popularity and ease of jam making exploded!
A favorite condiment of such luminaries as Joan of Arc, Mary Queen of Scots, Louis XIV, Napoleon Bonaparte, and our very own John Chapman (Johnny Appleseed), we will feel in good company as we raise a toast in their honor today!
Click here for a Christmas jam recipe.
High in the mountains above Bally, where the dense groves of treetops seem to touch the sky, is Francine Black, Boyertown’s own version of chef Julia Child. Her daily activities reflect the things she most values: family and friends, music, and lovingly prepared food.
More News from Boyertown
- We Invite Readers To Share A Special Tree Ornament or Other Holiday Decoration Tree ornaments often represent special life moments. We hope you will share yours.
- A Pictorial Tour Through the History of Boyertown: Churches page 44 Churches--page 44
