Today is a banner day for Yo Momma, my friends! Today I arose at 5 a.m. and drove north along North Carolina Highway 401 to Louisburg NC, home of Bobbees Bottling, for my first-ever, commercially produced batch of Yo Momma’s jam’s and jellies–a special reserve bottling of my Blackberry Cinns recipe! Can it get any better? Jelly is good, and jam may be your go-to thing, but for Yo Momma, it is all about the cinnamon, nutmeg, and other fine spices that make it extraordinary, says Yo Momma!
It was a new experience for me and for my fine friends at Bobbees Bottling. They had never made a serious boutique jam like mine before, and I had never worked with a commercial bottler. I knew that if I ever wanted to share my jams and jellies with more people, the only way to do it was to expand. But quality is sacred to Yo Momma, and I knew it was important for to pick a bottling partner who was as picky about quality as I am. So I spent months researching the best companies around before selecting Bobees Bottling as my exclusive partner.
And it was just as important for them to understand what I was trying to achieve, so this morning I brought my latest homemade batch to share with bagels and cream cheese before we got started. Their reaction was much like what you have all been telling me for years, “Where has this jelly been all my life?!!”
And then, when I knew they understood the flavor profile I wanted to achieve, we all rolled up our sleeves and got to work. Fortunately for me, they really bought me into the process, and we shared the all love I want to bring to every jar of jam and jelly that has Yo Momma’s name on it. They took the time to get it right, sharing every painstaking step of the process with me to make sure I approved. They mixed and remixed batch after batch–and yes, I tasted every sample they provided, slowly taaaasting the profile of each flavor and comparing it to my original handmade jam. I was so impressed with the patience and perseverance the Bobbee Bottling team brought to process. They did a better job than I thought possible for a commercial bottler of recreating the correct flavor profile of my original homemade recipe.
By the end of a very long and delicious day, we had created something truly extraordinary. I am exhausted, but also so proud and happy! I hope you will try it soon. And I hope, my friends, you are happy too!
Be healthy, happy, and eat well!
