Handmade Preserves from Salt Spring Kitchen Co.

Sweet and savory: my two favorite words. Put that into a jam and pair it with cheese- and we are going to be friends for sure. If you are of the same palate, then you are going to love what jam maker Melanie Mulherin is doing with her line of artisan preserves Saltspring Kichen Co. 

Specializing in savory flavours, Melanie’s unique small batch jams are gaining recognition on and off Saltspring Island where she lives with her husband and children. You can find Melanie selling her preserves every Saturday at the Saltspring Market from 9:00am – 4:00pm. Starting soon, she’ll also be selling on Tuesday’s at the night market from 2:00pm – 6:00pm.

Before moving to the Island, Melanie and her husband (a former chef) owned and operated a restaurant in Fort St. John. The initial inspiration for her jams came from a baked goat cheese they served with a house made tomato relish. When she started making jam her niche soon evolved.

“Very quickly I realized where my passion was [making savory jam]. With so many beautiful cheeses here on Saltspring the flavour pairings are endless” says Melanie.

Her style is very old fashioned Melanie says, each batch is made in the traditional hot water canning style. Everything is lab tested to ensure proper acidity and to meet food safety regulations. She’s been canning for fifteen years. Ever since her mother-in-law taught her how to make pickles it’s been a canning love affair.

Some good pairings:

Blueberry and Basil Jam with Saltspring Island Lemon Goat Cheese

Pink Grapefruit and Rhubarb Jam-a-lade with Blue Cheese

Hot Mango Jam with grilled seafood

Onion and Thyme Jam with BBQ steak

Spicy Tomato Jam is very versatile and goes well with anything; Brie, Cheddar, or Camembert.

Or try it (and buy it) at the Saltspring Island Cheese Company in the Hudson Public Market on their grilled cheese sandwich made on Fol Epi bread with the Ruckles soft fresh herb and garlic goat cheese. Comes with soup or salad for $7.50 It’s the perfect harmony between sweet, savoury, salty and spicy.

Where you can find it:

What you can look forward to:

With the local pepper season fast approaching, Melanie is keen on making a fermented Sirracha hot sauce. Yum!

Mustards are great too. Melanie is experimenting with making a variety of mustards to go in her Burger Package; a collection of several flavours to choose from.

Each 9oz. jar (at the Market) sells for $9.00 or, 3 for $25.00 and has a shelf life of one year. After opening, they are good refrigerated for up to 3 months.

Time to stock up on some jam!

Salt Spring Kitchen Co.

Melanie Mulherin (owner)

Email

Faebook:  Salt Spring Kitchen Co.

Twitter: @SSKitchenco