If it were available, I’d recommend you get to your local grocery store right now to buy up the entire stock. Sadly, this is a local product which is only available at a couple of Ontario farmers’ markets as far as I know (though you might be able to do mail order).  One of the great aspects of farmer’s markets is the chance to get locally-made preserves. All of the goodness of local produce preserved for the winter — and someone else gets to do the work. There’s also a certain pleasure in food that you can only find in certain regions, a rarity in our globalized food system. Terroir shouldn’t just be about wines (I’ll go to my grave swearing that McVitie’s Hobnobs taste better in England).

Of course, these locally produced preserves are no longer just the provenance of neighborhood farmer’s markets. A range of artisan preservers are offering their wares online and in specialty food shops. We Love Jam (a company that got started making preserves in an effort to save the Blenheim apricot), sells jams, bbq sauce, and pickles. The locally-sourced pickle maven, of course, is Rick from Rick’s Picks; his wares include pickled okra, jalapenos, a couple of varieties of beans, and the list keeps growing. With wider distribution, I suspect that neither of these operations rely solely on local produce, but they are still fairly small-scale producers with a commitment to the local. In Madison, WI, there’s even a community-supported preserves program. Maybe I should start up one of these. I can’t seem to get rid of all of the jam I made last summer. Crabapple jelly anyone?

What are some of your favorite farmer’s market food products?