American Spoon jam named Good Food 2012

If you haven't had a chance to try some American Spoon Wild Thimbleberry Jam yet, you might want to consider ordering yourself a jar soon--the rest of the foodies across the country probably are.

American Spoon, based in Petoskey, was recently named as a 2012 Good Food Awards winner for their Wild Thimbleberry Jam. If that weren't enough, the company actually had another finalist in their Heritage Tomatoes Preserves.

"We’re honored to be recognized for our long-standing commitment to capturing the singular flavors of exceptional fruits and for helping to sustain dedicated growers and foragers in rural communities across Northern Michigan," says the American Spoon blog. "We’re so pleased that we had the opportunity to share our rare wild thimbleberry with such a devoted group of food artisans and aficionados, and we’re proud to be a part of this growing good food community."

The company accepted the award during an event in San Francisco Jan. 13.

For those who don't know, the thimbleberry is a tart, aromatic fruit that grows in northern climates, especially those with cool summer weather. The berries have a taste that American Spoon says is "reminiscent of currants and raspberries, with soft seeds that release their nutty flavor when chewed."

American Spoon gets their thimbleberries from a handful of families in the Keweenaw Peninsula, who the company says "beat the bears to the berries for us every year."

In the company's kitchens, the berries are prepared by hand in copper kettles before being canned and sold.

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: American Spoon