This is Part 2 of 3 of my recent Vancouver Adventures that I shared with Deborah Moore this morning on AM1470.
"Hot Days are the Best for Making Jams - Not"
This weekend, we experienced a very unexpected but welcomed heat wave in Vancouver. It was unusually hot for this time of year but after such a dismal start to the spring season, I was happy to embrace the hot weather, even if it meant making jams in a hot kitchen in high afternoon. To be honest, it actually wasn't that bad and I'm just being dramatic. Lee Murphy, the owner of Vista D'oro, was the one who told us that "the hot day is perfect for making jams." Having never made jams before, I fell for her playful remark and asked, "Really?" She gave out a good-natured laugh to my naivety. "No, the kitchen is going to get hot!"
Making Jams with Lee Murphy
Duly noted and I was a willing participant. It's not often you get an opportunity to receive personal instructions to make some of the beautiful recipes you only see in cookbooks by the author herself. In our case, we were at Ms. Murphy's Vista D'oro Farms to learn how to make jams just like the ones in her new book, Preservatory, published by Appetite Random House. The book is loaded with over 80 recipes - 40 for preserves, organized by growing season, and more than 40 recipes for meals and desserts that incorporates the use of preserves. I especially liked the inspiring pictures taken from the farm evoking a charming farm lifestyle that a city girl like me sometimes dreams about.
Vista D'oro Farms
To make these wonderful preserves, the process starts at the very root for Lee, literally. She, along with husband and crew, grow the different fruits and grapes that goes into their jams, preserves and wines. It's a very beautiful piece of farmland which you can visit between Thursday to Sunday from 11am -5pm. They have a gift shop, wine tasting room and they also sell charcuterie boards for you to have your very own picnic under the cool shade of one of their many fruit trees. It's a fun little spot for the whole family or a romantic date away from the city.
A: 346 208 St, Langley, BC V2Z 1T6
T: (604) 514-3539
I'm going to a tea event next. Join me here.
XOXO,
Mimi
Disclosure: This was an event organized by the Food Bloggers of Canada and Appetite Random House.
[srp post_limit='5' post_random='yes' category_include= 131 widget_title = 'Other Vancouver Socials']
Leave a Reply