JAM According to Daniel

08/28/2026

Fig Jam is here- it's very limited this year, so don't wait!

Strawberry + Apricot Jam is back, but only 12 jars!
Damson Plum Jams are almost gone until 2027!!

As with many other fruits (Strawberries, Apricots, Damsons, to name a few), Figs are having a TERRIBLE year. First the late frost, then the drought through June and July, and finally almost 12" of rain during August.

I have Fig jam (https://checkout.square.site/merchant/R958MW15XQQK4/checkout/G33NVO4N4GVIQUFULOP5RRKZ) for this weekend but I'm not sure it'll last much longer, certainly not into the Holiday season the way it sometimes does. I'm also running through my reserved supply of frozen 2025 Damson Plums and (as noted above) they're also having a terrible season in 2026, so don't let all the Damson Plum Jam (https://checkout.square.site/merchant/R958MW15XQQK4/checkout/PTCIPN273CEU53Y5YJY5Q54W) slip by if it's on your Holiday shopping list. Also I found one last bag of Apricots in my freezer and turned it into 12 jars of Strawberry + Apricot Jam (https://checkout.square.site/merchant/R958MW15XQQK4/checkout/UWIS24BMJYVLBQ3VYQAPDPQ6) , there weren't even enough jars to bring it to the Farmers Market, so if you're local you need to order it anyway. Fig + Damson Jams will be at Market this weekend and hopefully next, but we'll have to see.

Everything is available on the website starting now, all outstanding orders just went into the mail, and we'll be at both Farmers Markets in Charlottesville tomorrow: Daniel will be at IX Farmers Market and Lincoln will be filling in at Charlottesville City Market.

I'm going to display uncharacteristic brevity, as is appropriate this time of year when I'm up to my neck in fruit, and sign off here.

Thanks for your support!

Best,
Daniel

Click here for an update from JAM according to Daniel + Fairweather Farm Teas!

07/14/2026

Apricot jam (https://square.link/u/3YJFe1mk) is for sale now!
Don't delay!
We only made 33 jars in 2026 and there are 3000 people reading this email, so (for the first time ever) I'm limiting Apricot jam to 1 jar per order.

Hello all!

If I were a businessman first, instead of a jammaker, I'd probably take this opportunity to raise the price on my rarest, most sought after flavor. Things being what they are, I really wish there was enough for everyone instead. I'd LOVE having enough inventory to satisfy the demand for my product- I'm enough of a businessman to want that! But ultimately limiting myself to local fruit is more important, because that gives all of my customers a new insight into a way climate change is affecting their lives already,

Hopefully next year we won't see the same sort of damage from an April freeze after a hot March, but it seems like it's becoming an every-year occurrence. If that's the case, Apricots might no longer be viable for farmers in this area, and that might just be the end of that. I planted an apricot tree over a decade ago, but it has only ever borne one single fruit: every year it is absolutely enrobed, just drenched in flowers, and then the inevitable freeze comes along again to kill them all. Scroll down to see one beautiful, promising year of Apricot blossoms that came to naught.

Hope springs eternal, so I'm looking forward to Apricots in June/July 2027 with bright eyes and an eager heart.

Thanks for being a supporter of our family jam business. We couldn't do it without all of you!

Best,
Daniel

C-ville customers: For local pickup at IX or City markets this Saturday (7/17) just add a note during checkout. Don't wait to buy it then, it will not be available, we expect to run out of Apricot jam today.

Click here for an update from JAM according to Daniel + Fairweather Farm Teas!

07/14/2026

Just a normal day at the office, writing an email about how there are only 33 jars of Apricot jam this year. If you want one, consider this your best and only chance.

07/10/2026

When I hear the Inflation numbers on the radio I always cringe, because I know the buck stops here, it’s up to me to figure out how to reconcile the enduring value of my product with the forever diminishing value of our currency. Then I look up what my jam is worth, based on prices last year. From a brief part-time stint working for a local financial information company I learned that big companies make adjustments every day based on inflation, and exploit forever changing values of different currencies relative to each other by moving reserves around to maximize value. I don’t do anything that elaborate, but I’m realizing that raising jam prices is inescapable, it’s just a matter of how soon. Certainly before the holidays, but definitely not before tomorrow.

Come down to see Lincoln from or see me to see it all at today’s prices, tomorrow (7/11)! Find all the normal troublemakers downtown 8-1ish in the :

07/10/2026

Peaches are here and leaving fast!

Early Season High-Acid Clingstone Peaches make the best jam- try some and see!!

To tell you the truth, there are a lot of unexciting Peaches out there. I know you've encountered them before, at the Grocery Store it's almost an unbelievable bit of luck to find one that's even halfway-decent. When I get unremarkable Peaches and put in all the work of Jamming only to discover that I've made unremarkable jam, it's a big disappointment. Whenever that happens, with Peaches or Blueberries or any other fruit, I do what must be done. I sigh, I figure out a way to put some life into the jam, with citrus, or herbs, or another fruit, and then I cross it off the list. After an experience like that, I know better than to buy that particular fruit from that particular farm again, without a substantial amount of proof that either I was mistaken or the quality (of growing, harvesting, storage, etc) has radically improved.

Life is too short to buy or eat boring fruit!!!

When I use fruit in jam, it is my solemn duty to do right by it, never to make something delicious into something unpalatable, BUT I am not a magician, I cannot get blood from a stone, and if the fruit in my kitchen is a mediocre mealy mess, or browning out out from the pit, the best use of it is feeding the worms in my compost pile, not making jam.

All this goes to say, ITS ALMOST THE END OF PEACH JAM SEASON! If you're looking forward to a particular jam flavor, or looking to try some new ones, your best chance is now-ish. The classics are all finally back in stock: Yellow Peach Jam (https://checkout.square.site/merchant/R958MW15XQQK4/checkout/EMW75TWBJCWU5ZBQOYACYGCM) , Yellow Peach + Lavender Jam (https://checkout.square.site/merchant/R958MW15XQQK4/checkout/AY6HKYIELAWLSDDL4PJQ5OMS) , Yellow Peach + Red Raspberry Jam (https://square.link/u/77akRLHI) , and Peach Blackberry + Lemon Jam (https://square.link/u/trtXn2KY) . There's another bushel (excuse the peach pun) of new flavors too: Yellow Peach + Ginger Jam (https://square.link/u/wf1d4Vla) , Yellow Peach + Hibiscus Jam (https://square.link/u/75pVKFTk) , and Yellow Peach + Vanilla Bean Jam (https://square.link/u/gozJE3EF) .

That's all for today, I'm still managing this tidal wave of fruit for a few more weeks. Here is your advance warning of our annual family vacation: we will miss both markets in Charlottesville on 8/1, and all orders received 7/23-8/6 will ship after 8/6.

Thanks!

Best,
Daniel

Click here for an update from JAM according to Daniel + Fairweather Farm Teas!

07/03/2026

Plucot Jam (https://square.link/u/YeCa8hxH) is here!
Yellow Peach flavors!
Still plenty of Strawberry!!

Good morning!

First things first: what are Plucots anyway? They're a Plum + Apricot hybrid and have a little more cold-hardiness (aka bloom at a later date) than the Apricots around here. We often (including this year) experience a bad freeze in mid-April after a hot March, and that's the end of Apricots for the season. The Plucots seem mostly unaffected, so we're moving forward with them as a substitute for the Apricots we're missing. Plucot Jam (https://square.link/u/YeCa8hxH) tastes like tart Plum jam at first, with a strong tangy Apricot finish. Less tannic and brighter than Damson Plum Jam (https://checkout.square.site/merchant/R958MW15XQQK4/checkout/PTCIPN273CEU53Y5YJY5Q54W) , much tangier than Yellow Peach Jam (https://checkout.square.site/merchant/R958MW15XQQK4/checkout/EMW75TWBJCWU5ZBQOYACYGCM) .

We've got a bunch of great flavors on the website right now, everything from Yellow Peach Jam (https://checkout.square.site/merchant/R958MW15XQQK4/checkout/EMW75TWBJCWU5ZBQOYACYGCM) to Peach Blackberry + Lemon Jam (https://square.link/u/trtXn2KY) , Tart Cherry + Rhubarb Jam (https://checkout.square.site/merchant/R958MW15XQQK4/checkout/H23M5MQ7CS4F2VKM2WQET745) to Blueberry Jam (https://checkout.square.site/merchant/R958MW15XQQK4/checkout/WP4KZWSEKJCRZ6XNSIPM243K) , from Pear + Ginger Jam (https://square.link/u/jmuhEENI) to Strawberry + Vanilla Bean Jam (https://square.link/u/6eP5jZPa) , from Pink Rhubarb Jam (https://square.link/u/TxXWIDkf) to Green Rhubarb Jam (https://square.link/u/VsHoWqHE) , from Damson Plum Jam (https://checkout.square.site/merchant/R958MW15XQQK4/checkout/PTCIPN273CEU53Y5YJY5Q54W) to Strawberry + Rhubarb Jam (https://square.link/u/TwjUlgEI) , it's all here for you, for now. I'll try to keep this paragraph sales only, and save the gloom and doom for after the break.

One more note: I've started labeling Yellow Peach Jam (https://checkout.square.site/merchant/R958MW15XQQK4/checkout/EMW75TWBJCWU5ZBQOYACYGCM) after the peach variety it contains, aka Early Redhaven Jam, Loring Jam, Blake Jam, etc. but there's not enough of any flavor to list them on the website individually. Whatever variety is on the front label, it's always my Yellow Peach jam inside the jar, but now you know what kind of peaches went into it. Just in case you wonder why the label looks different, it's giving you more information. If you're looking for one type of peaches in particular, let me know and I'll do my best.

I'll include more links below for some of the new stand-out flavors, or click the button to see everything that's available.

A note for Charlottesville Customers: The Farmers Markets are happening tomorrow, IX from 8-1 and City Market with shortened hours from 9-11 (I'll likely be there from 8:30-11:30), and I'll have some extra Yellow Peach flavors that I didn't have enough of for the website yet.

Thanks!

Best,
Daniel

Ok, I have to admit: there's hardly any time for my usual message after the break. The frost on April 15 really messed up the fruit for this season, and eliminated almost all chances for Damson Plums or Apricots this year. Strawberry season was super short, I never even saw Black Raspberries this year, Sweet Cherries had a crop failure, Tart Cherries were very scarce too. Plums are forecast to be very limited going forward. After the next two action-packed weeks I only expect Peaches and Pears through the balance of the year, so I really need to pack it in. The insane heat is making it more difficult for the farmers, out in the field, but also for us in the kitchen, because everything is ripening super fast and everyone is running out of cold storage space. That said, I'm getting back to work! My field is Jam, after all, not Marketing or Climatology or Farming, so I'll go back to focusing what I'm best at.

Thanks for being a supporter!

Daniel

Click here for an update from JAM according to Daniel + Fairweather Farm Teas!

05/08/2026

Hello, Jam fans!

A note for local customers: My wife Rachel of Fairweather Farm is having a PLANT SALE on her website (fairweatherfarmtea.com) right now and at the Charlottesville City Market on Water Street tomorrow, May 9. She's focusing on Pollinator-friendly and Native Perennials.

And now... jam! Strawberries came early, hot and heavy this year, coming out of a hot March and early April. Now it's cold (it was 39 outside as I began to type), so they're taking a break under their cozy row covers. In the 50 degree darkness the plants don't grow, berries don't ripen, and harvesting ceases.

I'm not sure how long this interruption will last, for now I'm taking advantage of this break to update the website and send this email. Last year the frost in mid April stressed out the plants enough that the season never really recovered, so I was primed to jump on early berries this year. We might see more, or not. One of my strawberry farmers told me they had so much damage from the frost that they wouldn't have any berries for me at all this year. They're planning to leverage the few berries they have to keep customers happy and coming back next year with pick-your-own and on-farm sales. Farming (and working with farmers like I do) is certainly never boring!!

We've worked through 2 pallets of berries (about 1600 #) in the past 3 weeks, so we've got a lot of Strawberry jam flavors available! The last holdovers from the winter are dwindling but some gems remain: plain Red Raspberry jam (https://checkout.square.site/merchant/R958MW15XQQK4/checkout/ZKHH34YQHQ7NB2FBBIKSEF3G) , Plum + Tart Cherry jam (https://checkout.square.site/merchant/R958MW15XQQK4/checkout/ZO7Z6E7V3UPDS2UO7NV5UMHV) , Plum + Blackberry jam (https://checkout.square.site/merchant/R958MW15XQQK4/checkout/66ARAIDHCWCE3475FYRTMQWN) , Pear + Ginger jam (https://square.link/u/jmuhEENI) , Blackberry + Meyer Lemon jam (https://checkout.square.site/merchant/R958MW15XQQK4/checkout/EZQF7QPAARSMGYIW3DUQ4FOX) , and more.

Now back to the stove, and then loading for the farmers markets tomorrow. Thanks for your support!!

Best,
Daniel

PS: It's RHUBARB season, too!!

Click here for an update from JAM according to Daniel + Fairweather Farm Teas!

04/04/2026

is today with a PLANT SALE and I’m as - come down today and see us in the market district with

03/13/2026

Free Apricot Jam!

We're giving away 6 jars of Apricot to customers who shop for jam + tea this weekend- every jar you buy is another chance to win!

Hi!

We're having our first Sweepstakes! I made some Apricot jam for family recently out of my last bags of frozen 2025 fruit, and decided on the fairest way to distribute those jars: through a random drawing. Here's how it'll work:

Every jar purchased at IX Farmers Market (tomorrow from 9-1) or online (starting now) will get entered into the giveaway spreadsheet and assigned a number on Sunday night. I'll use a random number generator to pick the winners and notify them (hopefully you!) on Monday. The free jars of Apricot jam will arrive with the rest of your order, however you've chosen to receive it.

Now onto the jam that's actually for sale, there's lots to choose from!! Red Raspberry + Meyer Lemon Jam (https://checkout.square.site/merchant/R958MW15XQQK4/checkout/XJNFJ2AGRXJTXGT5XFOVJK3H) and Blackberry + Meyer Lemon Jam (https://checkout.square.site/merchant/R958MW15XQQK4/checkout/EZQF7QPAARSMGYIW3DUQ4FOX) came out of the last delivery of boldly tangy + floral citrus from Planet Earth Diversified. Pears from West Virginia and Ginger from south of Charlottesville combine into an energizing + beloved blend in Pear + Ginger Jam (https://square.link/u/jmuhEENI) . Classic favorites like Strawberry + Rhubarb Jam (https://square.link/u/TwjUlgEI) , Strawberry + Seedless Red Raspberry Jam (https://checkout.square.site/merchant/R958MW15XQQK4/checkout/F5O5SAFSA5TDKQMTO2APE6FN) , and Red Raspberry Jam (https://checkout.square.site/merchant/R958MW15XQQK4/checkout/F5O5SAFSA5TDKQMTO2APE6FN) (with the seeds) are all still available although limited.

That's all for today, now I'm off to pit tart cherries and prep for the IX Market tomorrow. Come on down, looks like beautiful weather for it!! As always about 30% of our annual gross revenue is paid directly to local farmers, because without the local fruit they grow, there's no local jam!

Thanks for your support!

Best,
Daniel

Click here for an update from JAM according to Daniel + Fairweather Farm Teas!

03/07/2026

Spring is here! Come down to with

is back on April 4!!