The Lemon Jar: A Little Taste of Summer, All Winter Long
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The Lemon Jar: A Little Taste of Summer, All Winter Long
November is when the landscape begins to lose its seasonal vibrance, settling into a period of quiet and calm. Long autumn days give way to shorter afternoons, cooler mornings, and the first hints of frost.
For those who enjoyed The Lemon Babe’s wildly popular concoctions throughout the summer at our Market, the change of seasons may leave you missing a little sunshine — and the bright, refreshing lemonade and limeade creations of Kyra McLean and her mom, Susan (aka Lemon Mama).
When the outdoor Market season came to a close, loyal customers were already reaching out for their weekly fix. Lemonade “porch pickups” became a thing! But now, the juicers and squeezers are neatly packed away.
But don’t despair! We’re shining a spotlight on The Lemon Jar, the winter little sister of The Lemon Babe.
Like many of our vendors, Kyra and Susan began thinking about ways to carry their business into the changing seasons. And so, they brought their lemon love indoors, creating The Lemon Jar — a collection of small-batch, handcrafted preserves featuring a lively variety of fruits and vegetables, including, of course, lemons. And whenever possible, they’re bringing the Market into their jars, sourcing fresh, seasonal produce and ingredients from fellow Market vendors.
Think of them as a little taste of summer, tucked into a jar and ready to enjoy all winter long.
They also make wonderful holiday gifts for office friends, family members, or your favorite foodie. Whether served alongside a holiday charcuterie board or incorporated into homemade cakes, cookies, trifles, or even a Yule log, these preserves add something special to the season.
We caught up with Lemon Mama to find out what’s brewing (or, perhaps, simmering!) for The Lemon Jar and the Winter Market season.
What made you decide to venture into jams and relishes?
There’s a longer-term vision for The Lemon Babe, and we’re excited to begin exploring some of it! One of our goals is to eventually incorporate our own small-batch fruit flavors into our lemonades. The Lemon Jar gives us an opportunity to start developing those flavors while introducing something new for our Winter Market customers.
Jams and relishes seemed like a natural next step — a chance to combine creativity, culinary experimentation, and the fresh, vibrant flavors that have become part of the Lemon Babe experience. It’s another way to share our love of all things fresh, flavorful, and a little unexpected!
What were some of the challenges in getting The Lemon Jar off the ground?
As it turns out, there’s more to making preserves than finding a delicious combination of ingredients. While New Hampshire has eased some licensing requirements, important food safety rules and regulations remain. Not every recipe can simply be made and sold — even one found in a reputable food blog or favorite cookbook. Recipes must meet specific standards for acidity and shelf stability, often requiring laboratory testing and approval.
That meant finding creative flavor combinations within those guidelines while including some familiar favorites. We wanted to incorporate a few nods to The Lemon Babe, so we’ve submitted four recipes, along with prepared jars of each, to the University of Maine for testing. Each submission involves a significant expense and a testing period longer than we’re patient for (I log in two-three times a day). We’re hoping to hear soon if recipes are approved and whether adjustments are needed.
One of the biggest surprises has been learning how much the science of preserving influences the creative process. Even something as simple as adjusting sweetness isn’t always possible once a recipe has been approved. It’s been quite a learning experience!
What inspired your choice of flavors and combinations, and what are your plans for The Lemon Jar as the winter counterpart to The Lemon Babe?
Much of our inspiration comes from the enthusiastic response to our Lemon Babe lemonades and limeades over the summer. We loved experimenting with unexpected combinations and watching customers discover new favorites. We wanted to bring that same spirit of creativity to The Lemon Jar.
We’re looking forward to trying new combinations and seeing where a little culinary curiosity takes us. The Lemon Jar is its own adventure, but it also gives us an opportunity to experiment with flavors and ideas that may find their way into future Lemon Babe creations. We’ll keep a little mystery around what’s coming for summer — you’ll just have to wait and see!
What would you like customers to know about what’s in store for the holidays, the Winter Market season, and beyond?
We are never short of ideas. For the holidays, we’re looking to expand our offerings while staying true to our small-batch approach. We’re also planning a Build Your Own Box, giving customers the opportunity to create their own assortment of jams and relishes — perfect for gifting or keeping for yourself!
And we’d love to hear from you. Is there a favorite flavor, jam, or relish you’d like to see? We’ve already had requests for raspberry jam and pickled red onions. We’re always open to new ideas and happy to explore what we can create in small batches. Oh, and one more thing … pickles are coming, too!
While we’re having fun exploring all that The Lemon Jar has to offer this winter, we’re already looking forward to what’s next. We can’t give away all our summer secrets just yet, but one thing is certain: we can’t wait to squeeze again when the Summer Market opens on May 3! (But who’s counting down the days!?) We’re fully committed to The Lemon Babe — even our cars can attest to that, with new vanity plates celebrating our lemon love!
So, head over to Kyra and Susan’s table at the Winter Market and treat yourself to a little taste of sunshine. Whether you’re stocking your own pantry or searching for a thoughtful, locally made holiday gift, there’s something delightful waiting in every jar.
And, as our Lemon Babe would say…
Don’t just Carpe Diem — Carpe Limonem! 🍋