I know that my co-workers are rolling their eyes at my love for Valentine’s Day. It was my idea a few winters ago to sell our cookies in heart shapes for Valentine's (not an original idea, I know!), and I still feel a whirl of excitement when we get to take out those heart-shaped cutters. It’s time, people!
This year, Valentine’s Day is getting more and more fun. You can visit our online shop for the deets on our special Valentine’s items (orders must be placed by February 10th). We’re making chocolate cherry bread! Chocolate rye cookies! Lemon tea cake! Annndddd linzer cookies cut into hearts!!
My love of hearts aside, the best part about the linzers is that this year, they will be filled with Serious Jam, made locally by Heidi Skoog. (Obviously, we’re using raspberry jam since it had to be red.) We’re so excited to be using Heidi’s product, so I thought I’d take a minute to introduce you.
Heidi sources as much fruit as she can locally, focusing on organic and sustainable farms. This past year, around 85% of the fruit was local! Pretty impressive, I think.
Heidi has been preserving food for as long as she can remember. She got hooked on jam when she and her husband picked way too many strawberries for two people. “I decided to make jam (strawberry, balsamic, black pepper) and gave it away to my friends. They loved it and kept pushing me to make more and come up with more flavors. So I did, and here we are!”
I could tell that Heidi loves what she does when I asked her what her favorite jam is: “My favorite jam to make and eat is Violette Plum. I LOVE plums and it’s taken me a few years to find a plum farm, but I finally have one. Last summer I had between 6-9 varieties of plums - from these tart little yellow ones, to this variety called 'Elephant Heart' which is the darkest of reds and so sweet. I toss them with sugar and let them sit for a few hours to release their juice, and slowly cook them into a lovely silky jam. I use a Violette Liqueur to finish because it adds just a bit of floral scent to the mix, and the end product is a perfect balance of sweet, tart, and floral. Spooned on to a buttered piece of toast or over ice cream and I’m a very happy girl.”
Pure love right there, folks! Enjoy those linzers, and don’t forget to place an order for Valentine’s Day treats!
--Baker Hannah
