Utah Stories

Utah’s Finest Jams and Preserves: A Taste of Local Delight

Meet several of Utah’s favorite jam makers whose craft and creativity have redefined the notion of preserving fruit. These artisans pour their love of Utah’s fruits into every jar, from the orchards of northern Utah to remote mountain brambles, each company brings a distinct flavor profile to the table.

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Whether you’re looking for family recipes passed down through generations, or innovative combinations that push the boundaries of conventional preserves, Utah’s jam makers are mixing up a tantalizing array of spreadable joy in the form of jellies, jams and preserves. 

Photo of Pepperlane Jalapeno Preserves courtesy of Utah's Own.
Photo of Pepperlane Jalapeno Preserves courtesy of Utah’s Own.

Pepperlane Jalapeño Preserves

Begun in Wanship and now based in Midway, Utah, Pepperlane has been giving preserves a zesty kick with the addition of jalapeño peppers since 1990. 

Fusing sweet and spicy together, Pepperlane adds a bit of fiery heat to any dish by using fresh jalapeños paired with a wide variety of fruits. Try the classic combination of Original Jalapeño Preserves poured over cream cheese and served with crunchy crackers. Flavors can be rotated to match the seasons. This summer, try Warm & Fuzzy Peach jalapeño-glazed salmon or Sweet Heat barbecue sauce. With 16 flavors to choose from, there’s a jalapeño preserve that will fire up your culinary curiosity.

Experience the bold, versatile flavors of Pepperlane Jalapeño Preserves to spice up your table and discover why these delicious preserves should be a staple in your pantry.

Butcher’s Bunches Jams.
Photo courtesy of Utah’s Own

Butcher’s Bunches Jams

Crafted in Logan, Butcher’s Bunches brings a fun and unexpected take on traditional jam-making, marrying the best fruits with the highest quality, sometimes surprising ingredients. 

The family-owned company takes great pride in their partnership with other local, small businesses over the past 16 years. Back In Black combines red and black raspberries and blueberries soaked in amaretto with melted Amano Artisan Chocolate Madagascar and Dos Rios chocolates. The award-winning Dirty Diana features Woodyatt Farms tart Montmorency cherries from Brigham City soaked in rum to make a zippy spread. 

They even use Utah-produced beet sugar in their low-sugar jams. “It’s processed differently than cane sugar, making us feel a bit better about our ingredient package,” explains Butcher’s Bunches Founder Liz Butcher.

Every spoonful of Butchers Bunches Jams helps support Utah’s agricultural heritage and will make your toast, pancakes, yogurt or charcuterie board a lot more exciting and delicious! 

“Utah has long been known for its berry growing,” Butcher continues. “Our best-selling jams have berries: raspberry, strawberry, marionberry, blackberry, blueberry and huckleberry, or combinations of those.” 

Many of their fans may have grown up eating grandma’s mixed berry jam, Butcher says. “We want to provide that memory in a jar to our customers.”  

Tagge's Farm

Tagge’s Famous Fruit & Veggie Farms

Tagge’s Famous Fruit, a summer staple up and down the Wasatch Front, is well-known for their farm booths on busy street corners and double-sized stands at farmers markets. With so much fruit to move, it’s no wonder their array of jams is nearly as popular as the fresh produce grown on 150 acres each summer. 

And luckily, the jams are versatile and available year-round — perfect for spreading on toast or adding a fruity twist to baking recipes. Capturing the essence of freshly picked fruits like Brigham City peaches and Willard Bay blackberries, Tagge’s Preserves are a delicious journey through the flavors of each season and offer a sweet experience in every jar. 

Amour Spreads

Award-winning Amour Spreads has captured the hearts of Utahns for many years with its artisanal fruit preserves. Made from only fresh fruits that are at the peak of ripeness, seasonal flavors come and go quickly but return when the locally sourced produce is ripe each year. Every small batch is made by hand in traditional copper jam pans using organic unrefined cane sugar and lemon juice. 

“We don’t use any artificial ingredients and all our spreads are very fruit forward,” explains co-owner Vi Tran.

Each jar of Amour Spreads is crafted with the greatest care, featuring traditional flavors like blackberry, apricot and Loganberry, but also making eye-popping marmalades and curds. Less sweet options such as Savory Heirloom Tomato Jam and Savory Onion IPA Beer Jam — great for anything you’re barbecuing, like burgers, brats and vegetables — turn any entree and charcuterie into a culinary adventure. 

“Our most popular flavors are the tomato, pear lavender and tayberry jam,” continues Tran. “I think these do well because they’re unique and you can’t find them on the shelf at your normal grocery store.”

“You can find our jams and marmalades at Picnic Cafe, Liberty Heights Fresh and Caputo’s daily or at the Downtown Farmer’s Market on Saturdays,” Tran said.

As you get to taste Amour Spreads, you’ll love becoming a part of this community-centric food scene where agricultural bounty and artisanal craftsmanship make it a cherished part of Utah’s culinary culture.

Rowley's Red Barn
Photo courtesy of Rowley’s Red Barn Facebook page.

Rowley’s Red Barn

Santaquin, Utah is home to the country’s second largest production of Montmorency tart cherries, and you’ll find a whole crop of products featuring the tart cherry (dried fruit, cherry concentrate and the distinctive tart cherry salsa developed by the family matriarchs) at Rowley’s Red Barn — many under Rowley’s Country Spoon brand. 

Known far and wide for their homemade jams, jellies, and preserves made from local fruits such as plum, apple, peach and strawberry, this family-owned establishment has been delighting travelers’ taste buds for generations at their locations in Santaquin and Washington. Many of the jams still follow Grandma Rowley’s recipes and the silky-smooth jellies are made for those who don’t like or need to avoid fruit seeds.

Over the years, chokecherry jelly has become a customer favorite but it’s hard to pass up the vibrant hues of the strawberry jam or peach preserves — each a labor of love, meticulously crafted to capture the flavors of Utah’s orchard-fresh fruits.

Visitors flock to the barn not just to stock up on these delectable treats but also to experience the warm hospitality that’s synonymous with the Rowley name. 

It’s Our Jam Gift Basket from Everything Utah

In addition to custom and pre-designed gift boxes from most of the companies above, Everything Utah offers the It’s Our Jam gift basket if you just can’t decide on your favorite local preserves. Visit them online or in-store for a curated collection of Utah-made jellies, jams and preserves that celebrate the flavors of the Beehive State. Each jar represents Utah’s fruit-growing heritage across the state’s diverse landscapes.

No matter the brand of locally made jams, jellies or preserves you favor, prepare your taste buds for a flavor tour of Utah’s fruits. With every bite, enjoy the skill and dedication of Utah’s artisanal food producers as you discover a taste of homegrown goodness that’s as unforgettable as the Beehive State itself.

Feature Image: Photo by Yulia Khlebnikova on Unsplash.

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