I have been on a bit of a gourmet “mail order” kick lately and ordered some apricot jam from Valerie Confections in Los Angeles. Pantry & Goods - Valerie Confections I would say it is the best jam I have ever had. While I’m perfectly satisfied with it, I was wondering if there are other great non-supermarket jams out there for me to try.
I also just ordered some of this stuff from Yakima Washington https://ayakoandfamily.com/?country=US and am awaiting delivery, but wondering if there is anything else out there that is absolutely amazing. I was intrigued by Ayako because they have Damson plum jam which I have never tried.
Is Sqirl jam amazing? I know they had some mold problems a few years back.
Thanks to all for these suggestions which I will try when I run out of my current stash. In the meantime, my Ayako and Family jams arrived from Washington state and were quite the disappointment after the amazing Valerie Confections jam. Just tasted flat, sweet and one note as compared to the Valerie jam. My research indicates that the culprit is pectin – the Ayako jams are made with pectin and the Valerie jams are not – and that a jam with pectin will never have the same depth of flavor as one without.
I also located and ordered some Christine Ferber jams from Kermit Lynch and will report back when they arrive. I think that is the only place to get them in the U.S. and I don’t think they use pectin.
Alas I think you are right and all the Ferber jams have pectin. As I understand it, pectin allows for a quicker cook, which can affect flavor, but there is probably a lot more to jam making then I understand. All I know if the Valerie apricot is the best jam I have ever tasted and I will have to wait and see if the Ferber comes anywhere close.