Canned Goods
How it all Began
I use to just can for the fun of it. I would have never realized two years ago that canning would be such big part of our business and I would be designing/building a state inspected kitchen to produce hundreds of jars of jams, jellies, salsas, pickles of every kind. How it began was like this. Not being able to tolerate wasted food, I had to figure what to do with leftover unsold strawberries at the end of the day. My aunt Ellen was staying with me during our second strawberry season and she decided to take a lemon and cut the peel into very small pieces and add it to strawberry jam. She produced a masterpiece that became the number one selling Jam. This was only the beginning.
Hand Grown: We start with hand grown vegetables that we grow ourselves. Many are started in the house and moved to the little greenhouse outside. This Begins in February. One of the challenges is to get dill planted in the ground inside the greenhouse so I have it to use in the pickled asparagus.
Hand Picked: These vegetables and berries are usually picked or pulled only hours before processing. This is critical especially when it comes to crispness in pickles
Hand Made: We do things the way we remember from growing up watching grandmothers, mothers, and aunts. It is all done by hand every step of the way.
Taste Tested: Every Batch is taste tested by us personally. A “Tasting Committee” tries new items or new batches! These individuals consider themselves as privileged and are instructed not to be “NICE” when tasting. They will say the first thing that comes to mind when the product hits the pallet and then they are questioned by me. This is to ensure I achieve a desired texture, taste, color, appearance, and consistency that we want for every jar. The last stamp of approval comes from the toughest of them all; that is “Mom Wesenberg”. This lady is NOT bashful and will be brutally honest if necessary.
Processes
We generally use fresh fruit when in season (not frozen) for bulk of our production. We use old traditional recipes and make small batches just as we grew up following tried and true rules as did our moms and grandmas. We have discovered that citrus fruits can really add zing to some of our recipes. Blueberry Lime and Strawberry Lemon continue to be favorites.
Currently we sell cherry, apple, blue berry, and pear butters. This process involves cooking down fresh fruit to a concentrated spread. These are made from pure fruit juices and sweetened with pure cane sugar. Corn syrup is NEVER used in any of our products. These syrups are perfect for many things especially pancakes!
Our pie fillings I am especially proud of…They are made with lots of fruit. These fillings are loaded with fruit and are NOT mostly filling. Almost 2 pounds of fruit in every jar. They have multiple uses, not just pies! Currently, we make cherry, blueberry, apple, peach, red and black raspberry, strawberry, and strawberry. We use fruit juice for filling with LOTS of fruit. Each quart jar is the right amount for a 9-inch pie.
Our salsas are the best because they are made with freshly chopped fruit and vegetables. These jars are loaded with freshness, spice, and flavor. We make traditional tomato salsa with hand chopped herbs, peppers, and onions all from our gardens. Our fruit salsas include peach, cherry, pear, and blueberry.
For my own recipe, I hand peel/scald the tomatoes, allow them to drain on a bed of ice and then cook them with chopped onions and peppers and hand snipped herb from our herb garden to include thyme, basil, parsley, sage, and oregano.
This tasty, chunky sauce is perfect for chili and all entrées calling for tomato sauce. Once you have our amber golden Sweet and Sour sauce with suspended flakes of flavor, you will never settle for the take-out packets from your local Chinese restaurant. You can see a photo of this recipe in the gallery below.
These hand-chopped colorful veggie masterpieces look almost too pretty in the jar to even open. The taste is out of this world and they add adventure and crunch to anything they come in contact with. We have dill and Ken’s vegetable (Sweet Vegetable Relish) perfect for hot dogs and burgers. Zesty Zucchini is my favorite and was made for Wisconsin brats. Red Root Relish contains all of nature’s best roots (beets and horseradish) red peppers and red cabbage. This unique relish is one of a kind and perfect for fish and tossed salads. It is a must try for someone looking for a relish rendezvous. Our one of kind Grandma’s Golden Relish is a secret additive for any chicken, egg, and tuna salad. Our southern inspired Chow Chow and Homestyle corn relish will become permanent pantry mates.
You name it we pickle it. All are made with the right amount of spice, crunch, and vinegar. Our mushrooms are one of a kind in white wine and olive oil…Aunt Ellen has come up with some of our amazing masterpieces that even I have a hard time replicating. Gherkins, Bread and Butter, and plain old Dill pickles. Beets, Carrots, Asparagus, and Green Beans… there’s a lot of crunch taste for the perfect bloody Mary bouquet.
You can see all of our canned good available and place your order in our online store! We can’t wait to hear and see what kind of awesome dished you make with these incredible products!
