Richer woman hits the market with unique jams and interesting flavour combinations

A woman from Richer is staying busy this year, cooking up some interesting flavours with her jams and jellies. 

Lynne Robson grew up in the kitchen, with her grandmother canning and cooking up jam for the family. 

Then she found herself cooking up more jam than she could eat and decided to start selling the tasty product at various markets in the area. 

“I have always loved making jam and to be honest with you, I love jam, I love the taste of jam,” Robson says. “I love the taste of fruit and so I would make it for me, my husband doesn't eat jam.” 

Her cupboard soon filled with many kinds of jam, and that’s when Robson decided she should start selling it. 

One of her latest hits is Stinking Berry Jam, made with blueberries and garlic. 

“It comes around because I have a friend from Halifax who used to eat it, it's an East Coast jam,” Robson explains. With the difficulty finding this jam in Manitoba, she quickly got to work and got two thumbs up from her friend. 

This jam is now very popular at the markets in Manitoba. 

“It is amazing with goat cheese and really good on chicken.” 

Robson says jams are not for just putting on toast. 

“You can make drinks with them, you can mix them in with lemonades, you can use them on the chacuterie boards, which back in the day we used to call cheese plate,” she says. “There's so many things that you can actually use different kinds of jams with.” 

She is now making a batch of mango jerk jam, which she says is going to be awesome on pork. 

“And then at the same time, you can use it on a cheese board,” she adds. “So, there's all different kinds of stuff that you can do, you don't need to do your typical raspberry or your typical strawberry. And yet, my strawberry rhubarb jam is one of my more popular jams.” 

The interesting ingredients don’t end there. Robson makes a spicy tomato strawberry jam, which she describes as “Manitoba strawberries paired with cherry tomatoes and a kick of habanero heat.” 

Other unique jam ingredients include wine, beer and liqueurs, as well as chocolate. 

Even on the hottest days, Robson is cooking up a storm in her kitchen, eager to create more jams and jellies for customers at Manitoba farmers markets. 

“I love being at farmers’ markets. I think that they are just a blast,” she says. “I have an awesome time doing them, whether it's a farmers' market or craft sale.”  

Robson appreciates the tradition and history of jam-making, while still respecting the changing times and current demand. 

“Some of my recipes are a million years old that I've adapted to a little bit more of a modern flavor so they're not quite as sweet and they don't have quite as much sugar.” 

While Robson has found a way to make countless batches of jam during endless days of hot and humid weather, she would love to have an outdoor kitchen so she can feel the breeze all around as she fills the air with the powerful aroma of various fruity spreads. 

“I have the plans in my head, I know exactly what I want.” 

Until that outdoor kitchen becomes a reality, Robson plans to continue cooking up a storm and creating new jams filled with tasty flavour combinations.