The Jam and Jelly Lady

Canning on a large scale is very hot, sweaty, often dirty work.  And I adore it... 

I gave up a regular Joe job in a clean, cool corporate office.  That was where I had time for lunch (made and served by someone other than me).  I talked grown-up talk all day long (not Barney, Dora, and Bill Nye chatter).  I often stayed for weeks in far-off hotels, and rejoiced that someone else made my bed, cooked my meals, even washed and detailed the rental car!  Best of all, I looked forward to mingling with friends, sipping drinks, and having late dinners on some of the riverboat nightclubs in Cincinnati.

Then we began a family.  I knew I couldn't juggle a consulting job and children without introducing an unmanageable amount of stress.  So I quit my old job and started my new one:  stay-at-home-mom. 

After a few months at home, I crazy for that hit of adrenaline that I get from hard work!  So one day, I bought cases of peaches and began canning peach puree for my baby, Jessica.  However, when I showed off my first few jars to girlfriends (who were MUCH more experienced than I with babies!) they laughed their heads off at me.  Didn't I know Jessica would be eating real foods in only a few weeks?  No!  I'd planned on making enough puree to last until she was three!

Back to the drawing board.  I had many more cases of peaches to can and no reason to make puree...  So I made peach preserves instead -- 200 jars! Of course, husband and I couldn't eat all of them, so we took the jars to the Applefest here in Lebanon.  Lo and behold, you CAN sell peaches at an apple event!!  We sold out in a few hours, and The Jam and Jelly Lady was born. 

For 15 years running a cannery has been the perfect job, and surprisingly I still use quite a bit of my hard-won business background.  I design and publish my own color media, perform accounting and inventory tasks, apply for certifications, update our website, etc.  

Most importantly, this job has been secondary to my real job, my real love -- being a mom.  Playdates, story time, playgrounds, museums, the zoo -- I did it all with my children.  And now that Jessica, Will, and Jack are all in school, I get invited to Career Day every year.  It's such a pinnacle in my career, explaining to my children's friends how the birth of a baby launched my career in jam, and the beginning of a very happy, very grateful family...