Monday, February 05, 2007

ECHO’s Fruits Make Great Jams!

At the heart of the ECHO farm, there’s a room that smells of lemons and cloves, where head coverings are mandatory and the juicer whirs constantly. Jeanne Fiske, apron-clad and hair tucked securely under a plastic shower cap, is queen of this domain. Jeanne serves as ECHO’s commercial kitchen manager, organizing the micro-industry that produces all of the jams, jellies, and picklings found in the ECHO bookstore.

Asked about the current concoctions, Jeanne shyly, proudly, shows off lines of jars against one wall of the kitchen. ‘Tomato marmalade,’ she says, handing over an unlabeled jar filled with a sumptuous-looking mélange of red tomatoes and spices. Pointing to another row of jars, Jeanne tells me, ‘Caribbean banana jam.’

As we talk, Helen Coll stirs a steaming vat of tropical delicacies. She takes out measuring spoons and pulls down exotic spices from the shelf. In the back, at the sink, Connie Ryskamp washes carambola, while a pot of vinegar, sugar, and cloves (for ECHO’s famous pickled carambola) stands ready.

‘Not much on the ECHO farm goes to waste,’ Jeanne continues. ‘A lot of what you see growing around here goes right into these jams and jellies. For $4.95, you can take home your own piece of the ECHO farm.’

Visit our bookstore for the latest treats!