Thermo Jams and Pickles Blitz the Fete

The taste of gourmet homemade jam or chutney is incomparable to any commercially produced product. Since getting the Thermomix I've dabbled with jams and savoury sauces. Previously, my sole speciality was  Homemade BBQ sauce.  I dabbled a bit with a few other onion sauces for a previous school fete. Such was the buzz of the 2013 jam stall at St Joseph's Bulli Easter Fair many were keen to help at this years stall. Plus there were a few people keen to see what the Thermo could do.


Superkylz and I have been trying new jam and relish recipes since getting our Thermomixes last year. Truly you can google any combination of jam or pickle and up comes a recipe eg Chilli Pumpkin Chutney. If you are really lucky add  "Thermomix recipe" to the search and someone will have converted a traditional recipe or added a modern version of an old one eg Beetroot and Orange Relish.

With the fete in mind I did up several bottles of summer BBQ condiments over Christmas - some for me and some for the fete- by the time of the Fete I had quite an assortment.

Some of the assortment of pickles, relishes and jams- I've impressed myself

Superkylz and her friends on the jam stall committee who also liked to cook took it a step further. They planned a Thermomix jam making night but who can resist blitzing up a few cocktails first.
So after a thirsty night making cocktails and jam they had some to take home and plenty to sell. This fuelled the fire of enthusiasm as the stall had around 400 jars of everything from dukkah to passata to sell on the day.

I think it was the "favourite" stall  at the fete with tasting samples adding to the interest and excitement.  The girls had bonded during their (Ahem) cooking nights  and word had got around that they had had a pretty good time preparing their wares for sale. No trouble getting volunteers for this stall.

Some of the the Jam Ladies having fun at the St Joseph's Bulli Fete

Lessons learnt when running the  homemade jams and preserves stall

• Save left over jam batches in small jars for tasters and samples. Come armed with bread, biscuits, spoons and little sticks for sampling. Watch the jars fly off the stall.
• Source some in-season produce eg passionfruit for Passionfruit Butter. 
• Watch your costs. Basil Pesto may seem like a good idea when Basil is in abundance but the cost of pine nuts and Parmesan will not provide a good return. Pear jam should be made when pears are cheap or in fruit.
• Savoury flavours are still popular and in demand. Zucchini Pickles, Red Onion relishes, chili sauces are popular as are home made passatas and pasta sauces. Cheese platter jams and jellies are popular.
• Print professional looking  labels with descriptions and ingredient lists. This can be done by a central coordinator. Don't forget one of the ingredients is "love" or "passion"
• Source medium sized jars and interesting looking jars (gift packs from Christmas) Soak off the labels as early as possible. 
• Cover the jams with fabric or fancy paper held on by elastic bands or curling ribbon. Brown paper and string gives a country look.
• Sugar free jam is not as popular as you would think but Watermelon Jam is a hit.
• Try a bit of "cross promotion" with the Morning Tea Stall.

The jam stall girls got away with charging $6 a jar or 4 for $20. Later as the smaller jars remained they still got a reasonable return when they reduced the prices.  Everything was sold.

Converting old recipes...I find I have more control using a cup to measure as I'm short. 
Here's my Homemade (Gourmet) BBQ Sauce converted for cooking in the Thermomix. 
1 cup of finely chopped onion (hand cut if you want it chunkier)
4Tbs brown sugar
2 tsp salt
2 pinches Cayenne pepper
2 tsp Mustard
2 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 cup Vinegar
1 cup Tomato Sauce
1 cup water
1/2 cup pickles
Chop the onion, combine all ingredients. Cook for 40 minutes on Varoma Speed 1

Suggestion: If making the chunky version put it in jars for spooning on to steak and sausages - This chunky and  tasty sauce but can clog up in the bottle neck. If you blitz the onion it flows better from the bottle. If you like the thicker sauce use the basket on top of the Thermo to prevent spills and release some liquid. If you use the Measuring cup on the lid the sauce will be wetter but flows better from the bottle.
Makes: approx 3-4 small bottles or jars. Keep in fridge or pantry for 6 months (if it lasts that long).

Home Made BBQ Sauce