Our Social-Economic-Ecological Jam
This jam is made from foraged wild berries endemic to the Maharashtrian forests. You'll find surprising tidbits of farm grown mango ginger in it. The jam is less sweet and carries a bit of tart, and shows off a sexy natural colour!
 
The Backstory:
C. carandas is one of the few evergreen shrubs native to our forest, an oasis for wildlife in the dry summer months. About two decades ago, we noticed the bushes reduce in our landscape, as do most plants perceived to have no economic value. We really wanted to preserve the presence of these beautiful native bushes in our ecosystem, which brought us to working with the fruit. After many product trials, we created our first recipe for the jam. Over time, this recipe has seen some refinement, including guidance by chef Gayatri Desai (Ground Up, Pune) who helped us better express the authentic flavour of the fruit. 
 
We put a price on the berry and spread the word. Members of our village collect the berries in the late summer while they're out grazing their cattle. This brings humans back to the bushes, now with a perception of economic value. While harvesting, they're munching. (The berries, fresh, are extremely nutritious - high in antioxidants, cooling for the body (and thus ripens in the heat of the summer), containing magnesium, vitamins, and tryptophan that help stimulate the production of serotonin, which improves mental health!) The berries have quite a few seeds in them, which the munching humans help transport far from the mother bush, thus spreading the population across our lands. 
 
Harvests are weighed and stored, until we have enough to make a small batch of jam. Unlike modern fruits, native fruits tend to have larger seeds and less flesh (mesocarp). (Naturally, trees will send more energy to the production of strong and plentiful seed, and just about enough to the production of mesocarp to lure in it's consumers, i.e., transporters of the fruit for the further the seed travels, the higher the chances of species survival. This is contrary to what we believe fruit to be today, nice and plump with few seeds.) 
 
After picking, the effort of de-pitting is rather intensive, requiring us to squeeze out the seeds (about 4) from each fruit, each the size of a pea. We do this, slowly, over the span of months. By hand, we jam in small batches once we have enough de-seeded wildberry. 
 
Our community in turn uses the income to buy treats for themselves - sometimes a new pair of slippers, a new dress, or a splurge on junk food. What had humble beginnings has blown up into a seasonal rhythm, bringing us up to 60 kilos of this wild berry in season! We're thrilled to have introduced economic value to an endemic species, retaining its place in our own forests, bringing it's benefits back into our community. 
 
The Jam: Is prepared in small batches and with sulphur-free sugar. The jam does not contain any added preservatives or colours.
 
Store: Cool and dry. Refrigerate once opened. 
 
Shelf Life: 1 year