Get Jamming With R&B1
With R&B1 grapevines yet to break dormancy and this year’s harvest at least another four months away, you’d think that Urban County Farm’s State Fair award-winning jelly team would be enjoying a well-deserved rest. But no. Not with juice from last year’s grapes still in the freezer! Instead, they’re gearing up for another year of fun, fellowship and competition.
The Master Gardener team is in full production mode, creating new flavors and churning out batches of old favorites in preparation for Garland’s first Urban Market of the year. Set for March 12, this pop-up market is held on the second Saturday of each month, March through December, in the heart of downtown Garland.
The market features local vendors that specialize in farm fresh foods as well as vintage, repurposed, upcycled, and hand crafted goods. The Master Gardener’s Urban County Farm jams and jellies can be found in front of the vintage camper at the corner of 7th and Main, next to Bee Hippy. Expect to find State Fair winners, old favorites, and some exciting new flavors. For the best selection, be sure to get there early as they typically sell out.
On Saturday, February 19th, the jelly team hosted a juicing and jelly class specifically for 2022 MG interns. The team generously shared recipes, tips and tricks throughout the class, which was designed to take the mystery out of making jelly and canning in general Attendees watched as team members demonstrated how to process grapes and turn the juice into jelly, then tried making some of their own. They also got to sample some of the team’s more exotic creations, including cinnamon cider, lemon drop, and cranberry jalapeno jellies and blackberry merlot jam. Yum!
Another class is planned for June, to coincide with the start of this year’s grape harvest. Any Master Gardeners having an interest in canning are encouraged to contact Jadi Oliver at jadioliver1@gmail.com for more information.
R&B1’s Master Gardener jelly team members are: Elaine David (2018), Jadi Oliver (2020), Terry Reed (2021), Helen Dulac (2021), and Dorothy Thompson (2020).
