What started out as having too much fruit from our peach tree turned into an endeavor to provide others with an alternative to the jams and preserves available in stores.
Having spent 37 years in the insurance industry, it wasn’t until my mothers passing that I decided to take a break. My husband agreed.
I spent time trying to figure out what to do, because I just didn’t want to stay home. I wanted to do something I loved and that was creative. Since I love cooking and had discovered making jam was so satisfying, I decided to try my hand at making a go of having a small jam and preserve business. I thought this would be a way to stay busy and meet new people, for this reason I created Cedar Glen Jams & Preserves.
Quite a bit is said about where our food comes and how it’s grown. Is it organic or non-organic? From specialty stores, grocery stores or farmer’s markets?
The good news is that most of our grocery stores/markets have an organic section where we can purchase produce, dairy, meat and fish and other staples without having to travel too far and pay more for our food. Additionally, many markets have made an effort to deal with and feature local farmers produce. If you’re not sure, just ask and they should be able to tell you where the product is from. Labels will tell you whether the food was grown here in California, here in the United States or from out of the country. Remember that below the equator the seasons are reversed, so their summer months are our winter months. They grow their fruit when ours is out of season and it makes a very long journey to our stores. And this is the main reason why when our local fruit-growing season is done, it’s done. When jams run out, they’re out until their next season. We only use locally grown fruit, fruit that is picked tree ripe, not picked green, crated and put on a slow boat to California and the U.S.
So we are happy to embark on this journey, giving folks an opportunity to try something made the old fashioned way. That is slowly, and without preservatives, artificial flavors, high fructose anything and thickeners. It’s the way Mother Nature intended fruit to be.
That being said, Cedar Glen Jams & Preserves is a Home Based Cottage Food Operator approved and licensed by the Los Angeles County Health Department. Cedar Glen Jams & Preserves are handcrafted in small batches using the freshest fruit in season from local farmers. We use freshly squeezed lemon juice, the least amount of sugar, without pectin or preservatives. Our jams make great holiday gifts for friends, teachers, co-workers or anyone on your shopping list. Local free delivery is available.
For more information, call 661-714-0412 or visit www.cedarglenjams.com.