Maintal brand, from Bayern, Deutschland (a smooth sweet spread with the consistency of apple butter). 6 months ago

Dundee Ginger Preserves 15 months ago

this goal’s name to “Try 10 MORE kinds of marmalade,” I’ve decided that I’m going to leave its phrasing alone & just get on with the tasting! grin15 months ago

Pomegranate Jelly

A beautiful color, an interesting smell, a good solid texture, & an aftertaste that was just “off” somehow (I can’t really explain). But I’d try it again if the chance came my way, just in case this was a bad jar & not a bad idea (I love pomegranates!). 15 months ago

Lemon – done.

But then… that was really the easy one, wasn’t it? :) 15 months ago

Ziyad Fig Jam 16 months ago

Dundee Key Lime Marmalade

This stuff is excellent & addictive—you’ve been warned! 16 months ago

Sanddorn Gelee Extra by L.W.C. Michelsen (Hamburg, Deutschland). 16 months ago

Chivers Blackcurrant Preserves 16 months ago

I liked this marmalade a great deal because it contains so much of the essence of quince, including that slightly “gritty” texture that quinces have when cooked. smile I also liked how good it smelled as soon as you opened the lid! grin This marmalade is very uniform, without any chunks of fruit, & separates a little when allowed to sit in the refrigerator (the clear sugar syrup is easily stirred back “into solution,” however). Quinces are the number one ingredient on the label (followed by sugar & “glucose syrup”—but see claim below about HFCS).

From the label:

Hero Swiss Preserves- QUINCE -Switzerland’s Best

“Produced by Hero: Lenzburg, Switzerland”
“Distributed by Hero North America LLC: Ocala, Florida”

From the website (www.herousa.com):

“Hero Preserves and Fruit Spreads have been enjoyed by jam lovers for over 120 years. The original recipe, which draws heavily on Swiss tradition, has remained the same and retains the careful attention to detail which comes through in the fruitfulness of each flavor.

Carefully selected fruits, premium packaging, and a unique cooking method all contribute to the well-established reputation that Hero Swiss “Classica” Premium Fruit Spreads have gained worldwide.

All Hero “Classica” Premium Fruit Spreads are all-natural, contain no high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives, and are certified kosher by the Orthodox Union.

Hero offers a wide range of 14 flavors in colorful 12 oz. jars, featuring attractive, flavor-specific designs for each.” 2 years ago

This jelly didn’t really do much for me: I was expecting the exotic flavor of guava but all I really tasted was “sweet.” (Perhaps my expectations were too high?) It was quite sugary & separated easily into a thin syrup atop the thicker jelly (thus needing to be stirred before each use). Guava juice is the first ingredient on the label, high fructose corn syrup the second.

Crosse & Blackwell’s Guava Jelly

“rich, smooth, & flavorful:
great on scones, toast, or crumpets”

www.crosseandblackwell.com

(Label: The J.M Smucker Company, Orrville, Ohio)

Yes, like Dickinson’s (see entry below, 1/43), Crosse & Blackwell’s is now owned by Smuckers—but at least you can find that out by reading the C&B bottle label, whereas you have to check Dickinson’s website to learn it.

The C&B website highlights this company’s history: “The Crosse & Blackwell® brand has been a beloved British tradition since 1706….” “Originally founded as West and Wyatt, the company was purchased in 1830 by Edmund Crosse and Thomas Blackwell.” Its products include “traditional Indian favorites like Chutneys, introduced to the English during the days of the British Empire, proper teatime classics such as Red Currant Jelly and Orange Marmalade, and local pub favorites such as Fish & Chip Vinegar and Chow Chow Piccalilli.” C&B claims a heritage of more than “300 years of…premium gourmet specialties” reflecting “a sampling of England’s great culinary influences: unique products with the finest ingredients, exotic recipes, and robust flavor.” 3 years ago

I liked how intense the blueberry flavor was; it did seem more “wild” than that of domesticated (crop-grown) blueberries. However, I didn’t care for the sugary sweetness of these preserves; at least in this batch, there was no hint of the label’s promised “hint of tartness.” The preserves were also somewhat thin (& had to be stirred before each use to mix in the sugary syrup which had separated from the thicker fruit). Wild Maine Blueberries are the number one ingredient (followed by cane sugar).

Private Selection Wild Maine Blueberry Preserves

“Premium Quality”
“All Natural”

www.interamericanproducts.com

(Label: Inter-American Products, Cincinnati, Ohio)

While I had known that “Private Selection” is a Kroger brand, I hadn’t realized that they consider it their top-quality offering. The website (www.thekrogerco.com) explains a “three-tier marketing strategy” where Private Selection is the “premium quality brand … designed to meet or beat ‘gourmet’ or ‘upscale’ national or regional brands.” They also stock “Banner brands” (such as Kroger), “designed to be equal to or better than the national brand” & a “Value brand … designed to deliver good quality at a very affordable price.”

I would guess that the Private Selection brand offers Wild Maine blueberry preserves, the Kroger brand offers Wild blueberry preserves, & the Value brand offers simply Blueberry preserves. grin Maybe I’ll investigate my hunch the next time I’m in a Kroger store. 3 years ago

I really liked the chunks of ripe figs which spiked this preserve, but I wasn’t so keen on the thin watery syrup that formed on the top of the marmalade (it needed to be stirred each time it was to be used). Figs are the number one ingredient (followed by cane sugar & high fructose corn syrup).

Braswell’s Fig Preserves

“Braswell’s of Georgia”

www.braswells.com

(Label: A.M. Braswell, Jr. Food Co., Statesboro, Georgia)

At the website, I learned that Braswell Foods claims to be “the United States’ largest specialty food manufacturer and wholesaler”.... “Since 1946, the Braswell name has been synonymous with outstanding preserves.”

They apparently package a standard line, which includes the fig preserves that I tried, as well as a “Braswell’s Select line of preserves” that also includes fig preserves—one which I’m now curious to try in a taste-test of standard vs. select. 3 years ago

I liked this marmalade because it was so close to the real thing, tasting essentially of fresh ripe Bing Cherries! I also liked how thick it was, full of big chunks of cherries, with whole halves in (nearly) every spoonful. Bing Cherries are the number one ingredient on the label (followed by sugar & corn syrup).

Pure Bing Cherry Preserves

“Dickinson’s”
“Purely the Finest”
“Since 1897”

www.dickinsonsfamily.com

At the website, I learned that they’re now owned by Smucker’s—something you wouldn’t know from reading the label (The Dickinson Family, Oxnard, California):

“One of the great American gourmet brands was cooked up during the late 1800s in the Pacific Northwest. A green-fingered gardener, Grandmother Dickinson cultivated berry patches and groves at her family homestead in the Willamette Valley. When the fruit matured to the peak of ripeness and flavor, Grandmother Dickinson commenced “putting up” hundreds of jars of mouthwatering homemade preserves. Her secret family recipe, relying on slow kettle cooking and a generous hand with sun-ripened fruit, was shared with friends and family….
Even into the 1960s, many of the same homespun methods and recipes originated by Grandmother Dickinson were still in use. Now a brand of The J.M. Smucker Company, we continue our long-standing tradition of excellence.” 3 years ago

I LOVE Marmalade. (I feel like Paddington Bear saying that!!)

My mother used to make her own Marmalade and I have revelled in trying many kinds, albeit without keeping any records! Lol

Here in England, it’s essential to say that if it hasn’t got citrus fruit it in (which is a totally different chemistry from “jam”, because of the acidity which distiguishes citric from other fruit), then it isn’t Marmalade. Wiki says “Marmalade is a fruit preserve made from the juice and peel of citrus fruits, boiled with sugar and water. The benchmark citrus fruit for marmalade production in Britain is the “Seville orange” from Spain, Citrus aurantium var. aurantium, thus called because it was originally only grown in Seville in Spain; it is higher in pectin than sweet oranges, and therefore gives a good set. The peel has a distinctive bitter taste which it imparts to the marmalade. Marmalade can be made from lemons, limes, grapefruits, mandarins and sweet oranges or any combinations thereof. For example, California-style marmalade is made from the peel of sweet oranges and consequently lacks the bitter taste of Seville orange marmalade.”…

And in the interests of balance, it follows up with: “In languages other than English, “marmalade” can mean preserves made with fruit other than citrus. For example, in Spanish the term usually refers to what in English is called jam (and “jalea” is similar to the English jelly). In Portuguese “marmelada” applies chiefly to quince marmalade (from “marmelo”, quince).1 In Italian too, marmellata means every jam and marmalade.”

The only downside I see of adopting this goal and starting to catalogue the great Marmalades of the planet is that in doing so I’m going to be frequently diverted from my long standing favourite: Coopers fine cut traditional English Marmalade. 23 months ago