Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Homage to Jam

La confiture,watercolor 5.5" x 7.5

I know comparisons are odious, but French jams/ confiture are just so damn pretty!

Tell me these are not simply gorgeous. I dare you! Ma confiture,watercolor 5.5" x 7.5French jams are so well dressed too...Ta confiture, watercolor  5.5" x 7.5
And their surrounding interiors are nothing to sniff at either.Were lace doilies invented so Fr. jam could sit on them?
It isn't just French sailors who get to wear the blue and white rayees/ stripes either. And who invented the checked tablecloth pray tell? It has to be the French, so their jam jars could be decked out in the remaining scraps. Non? Not all French jam is sweet by the way. At the Salon du Chocolat, there was chocolate-onion confit to be tasted and bought. I know it sounds weird but believe me it was divine.

Everybody makes jam. Much as I LOVE jam, I am not about to make it myself.


You need way too much equipment and there is all that so-called "cleaning up", which entails licking the bowl, the spoon, the pot etc.
As a matter of fact, no jar of real jam is allowed to cross my threshold. I have a tendency to eat jam straight out of the jar, like a container of yogurt. I have no self-control with jam. Only the tiniest mini jam jars are allowed and the lids of these do not unscrew. I tried. These are all of 1/2" high. I do have an EXTREMELY large collection of miniature jam jars.
C'est comme ca.
BONNE JAMNEE!

23 comments:

  1. We love jam! Recently I counted our jars in the fridge and pantry....we had 15 different kinds. From Austria's Darbo Apricot to Fauchon's, Armenian artisan jams and some Farmers' market jams.

    The best breakfast.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Is this the solution to my sad jam-free existance?
    15(!!!!!)jars of jam in the house!
    No way could I wolf those down at one sitting - a plethora of jam?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous11:19 AM

    Would you consider becoming a jam shopper? You seem perfectly suited and totally trust-worthy not to eat up the goods...
    Your level of expertise is beyond superior. Certainly in regards to the outter appearence of French confiture...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lovely, Carol, but I must say, I could never just eat it straight out of the jar the way you always say you do. Much too sweet. I have been known to take teaspoons and put it into my hot tea, though. I like that. ;))

    cute stamps and paintings, woman!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ooh, yummy, big time. My grandmothers always made jam. And like an idiot, at the time, as a child, I took issue with the seeds and pulps. Now I will walk out of my way, drop what I am doing and stare, drool and covet jams like these. I think there are only 6 in the fridge and two of those are sadly pedestrian. Time to "re-jam".
    These covers and lids and jars, I still have a hard time tossing those after all the jam is gone.
    Beautiful , paintings and stamp BTW.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous12:08 PM

    c,est tres fantastique
    je suis tres joyue et heureuse pour avoir do votre amibilite
    je vous souhaite la belle vie

    mercie
    farnoosh

    ReplyDelete
  7. SIX JAMS ONBOARD JANICE!!!!!
    I'm gasping here for breath...
    Maybe if I had 6 jams onboard I could get bored..?
    It's worth a try. It works for chocolate for sure..
    Oh my...

    ReplyDelete
  8. yumm...lovely work!!!

    I need some Jam now!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. MMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
    I am now SO hungry!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Thank you for doing all this diligent research!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I am not a Jam eater..well maybe now and again. My mum still makes jam every year and brings us down a few pots..

    But saying that, if I had some Confiture De Cerises Noire Au Chocolat..I could be tempted!! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous1:34 PM

    I am ot a prude but would you not use hell and dam in your descriptions..please
    Don, Fort Worth, TX

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous2:16 PM

    hahaha i tried making jam once. it was successful, but like you said, its too much work. i learned from my experience that buying it is worth the money indeed:D i didn't know there were so many types though. i might have to seek some of those out!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I am here! I am here!! Ah jams...never enough to make the world go round..that's why the world is kaput!! Not enough jam...to go with toast, with my coffee, in my brand spanking NEW religieuses mug with my awesome napkins and to be stirred with a gold Fauchon spoon!

    Thank you Carol!! You are the best!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Miam miam, la bonen confiture! Next time you come to Paris, we will have a confiture testing!

    ReplyDelete
  15. My daughter brought me home a jar of Abricots preserve from Fauchon.

    Wow. Yum. Best preserves ever.

    Living rather far from Fauchon, I bought a selection from Whole Foods, and, so far, I like the Food For Thought Michigan organic tart cherry the best of my selections. Mmmmm.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Many good addresses for good jams.
    My favourite are from "La Marmite enchantée"...
    http://web.mac.com/lamarmitenchantee/iWeb/Site%203/Nos%20produits.html

    ReplyDelete
  17. M-Noelle, That's a long way to go for a good jar of jam!
    L’exploitation est située entre La Vallée Verte et Le Massif des Brasses, entre Faucigny et Chablais,au croisement de l’axe Lyon/ Genève/ Chamonix...
    I'll take Paris :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous4:56 AM

    I had to take the time to say thank you , I enjoy your work.
    I grew up in Great Neck L I and my aunt lived across the street . She was in a wheelchair from polio but as a child I was moved by the strokes of her brush and the simple yet complete image of her watercolors. I now live in Oregon but I return to NY City twice a year to see art. The Parisian themes are wonderful. I have never been there but took 2 years of French. 45 years later I can count to 10

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous5:15 AM

    I'd like a croissant and some home-made jam right about now.
    May I?

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous6:10 AM

    Belle idée gourmande toutes ces confitures ! Je prends pour mes enfants "Bonne Maman" à la fraise, faute de les faire moi-même. Très joli blog !
    Béatrice

    ReplyDelete
  21. Carol, the place where "la Marmote enchantée" sits is far from Paris, but they provide various shops with their their jams and other products they make.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Nobody makes jam like the French. I wouldn't give you tuppence of English jam :(

    ReplyDelete
  23. Really?
    Why not at least a tuppence?
    for Tiptree?..
    too much sugar?

    ReplyDelete

Love hearing from you