Marilyn Johnson may be a home cook, but thanks to the California’s Cottage Food law she is also now an official commercial jam maker, and her jams are worth a taste. Her firm, “Spread the Love Jams & Jellies,” is based south of San Francisco in Half Moon Bay, California.

We sampled three of her flavors to see if they stood out from the several other jams and jellies on the market. Marilyn uses a great deal of creativity in conceiving her creations. For example, she has flavors such as Apricot Pineapple, Pear Ginger, and Cranberry Habanero. However we felt what might really be a good test is to see how a staple flavor, like traditional Strawberry Jam, compared to others.

Fortunately we were not disappointed. The flavor was fresh, very present, and had a long mouth feel. In other words the flavor of strawberry lingered after you finished swallowing the taste. In addition, there was no need to put a large volume of jam on your medium (toast or crackers). Even a small amount spread to cover the entire surface, as well as deliver the full flavor of strawberry.

Says the company:

“We make our delectable jams with solely organic, non-GMO ingredients. All of the fruits used in our products were either bought directly from organic farms or wild harvested by the owner herself. For sweetening, Spread the Love uses low sugar non-GMO pectin and organic cane sugar.”

Based on this evaluation, our conclusion is that “Spread the Love Jams & Jellies” is indeed a welcome newcomer to the artisan confiture market.

www.spreadthelovejelly.com