Making Jams with Lee Murphy at Vista D’oro Farms

This is Part 2 of 3 of my recent Vancouver Adventures that I shared with Deborah Moore this morning on AM1470.

Amazing hot weather in May at Vista D’orso farms and winery.

“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

Lee made these delightful scones for us and of course, paired with several of her delicious jams. I really liked the pear and vanilla preserve.

Lee’s commercial kitchen where she conducted most of her initial recipe testing. The property now boasts a bigger and more sophisticated new facility for production of products sold to fine retailers.

Ms. Murphy talking about her first book, Preservatory, published by Appetite Randomhouse.

Lee started the day with preparing a large vat of sangria for us to drink later. There’s a recipe for that in her book and she also incorporates the use of the wines which are are produced on the farm.

First step in the jam making process is to add and mix up all the ingredients together. For our own special creation, my partner and I used blueberries, lavender sugar and lemon zest. It’s quite a delicious combo.

Mixing it on a low-med. heat until we hit the softball stage.

The glass jars are sanitized by placing in a hot oven. Once the mixture has reached the desired consistency, the mixture is poured into the canning jar through a very convenient wide-mouthed funnel.

The lids of the jars are sanitized by boiling in hot water. Using a tong to pull the lid out of the hot water, it is then placed on top of the jar to be closed and tightened by hand.

Left: apple tree. Right: grape vines in the vineyard.

The beautiful original barnyard where we tasted some of the vineyards wines.

Delicious charcuterie board that pairs perfectly with the winery’s wines or Lee’s sangria. Similar boards can be purchased in their shop for $12 or $25 so you can enjoy your own picnic shaded under one of their many fruit trees.