Sometimes little mysteries like the difference in jam and jelly — along with marmalade, chutney, and fruit butter — just ought to be solved.

Fortunately some preserve-making experts from Lu Austin, Frawg N’ Turtle, and Lost Loon Farms were kind enough to help us out.

First of all, the term preserves covers all of the above.

“Preserves is a term simply meaning fruit that is preserved through a canning method,” says Tucker Hoffman of Lost Loon Farms. However, some people do use jams and preserves interchangeably when they really just mean preserves.

Jelly

“Jelly is made from the juice of the fruit only. Fruit is crushed, strained, and then is boiled with sugar and pectin in order to make a spreadable product,” Tucker says. Because all of the chunks of fruit are filtered out, anything from apricot to pear jelly has the same smooth finish when spread.

Jam

“Jams are purées made with fruit; they are thick, but not as firm as jellies,” says Jeff Klean of Lu Austin Preserves. They actually contain crushed fruit pulp, so finished gourmet jams contain bits of fruit and sometimes seeds. If you spread preserves on your toast and it’s a little chunky and uneven, call it jam.

Marmalade

“Marmalade is typically citrus-based and incorporates not only the fruit, but the rind as well. This gives marmalade a balance between sweet and bitter,” says Kevan Kipp of Frawg N’ Turtle.

They can be made with a single citrus fruit (e.g., orange marmalade) or with several (e.g., pineapple and lemon marmalade).

Chutney

“A chutney is a condiment made from fruits and/or vegetables that are cooked in vinegar, sweetened with sugar and in many cases, dried fruits, then flavored with spices. Their texture can vary from very smooth with chunks of fruit to more of a pulpy texture,” Jeff says.

Because of the vinegary-sweet-n-salty flavor, a peach or apple chutney makes a great marinade for meat.

Fruit Butter

To make a fruit butter, the fruit is cooked down to form a very thick purée. Perhaps the most popular of these preserves is apple butter spread.

“Apple butter is darker and thicker than apple sauce…[and] a different spice profile can be used, which may include…cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and allspice,” Kevan says.

Now that you know the difference in jam and jelly, and the like — which one would you say is your favorite?

No matter how fast-paced and globalized our society becomes, the “little things” somehow still prevail. That’s what Lost Loon Farms’ co-owner Tucker Hoffman believes.

“With all of our orders, we put a handwritten note saying, ‘Thank you for your business. We look forward to serving you in the future.’”

And sometimes customers are so grateful for Tucker’s personal note, they decide to send one in return.

As it turns out, these good-natured exchanges have a lot to do with where Lost Loon Farms’ gourmet jam is made — Maine.

Photo by ChrisDag

Lost Loon Farms Fast Facts

Owners: Tucker Hoffman and Susan Zeillette

Selling Since: 2005

Claim to Fame: Wild Blueberry Jam created with hand-raked Maine blueberries

Slogan: “Produced one batch at a time.”

“Our vision is primarily bringing a quality Maine-image product to the market,” Tucker said. Lost Loon Farms is a member of the Maine Made program, an organization that celebrates the state’s tradition of quality craftsmanship and integrity. For Lost Loon Farms, this reputation is proven by their diligence and commitment to quality.

“We always have a logo that comes with our product saying that it was made in Maine, produced one batch at a time. It’s not a huge operation going here — we put our time and our effort into each and every jam and jelly,” Tucker said.

Lost Loon Farms sells an assortment of Maine gifts, including their Wild Blueberry, Blackberry, and Strawberry Jam. Tucker’s mother and business partner, Susan Zeillette, makes all of their products using fresh-picked berries and pure cane sugar.

The state’s native blueberries grow on the coast, so Tucker said they purchase them hand-raked from local growers. These blueberries are smaller than ones that grow in other regions and have a distinct natural taste.

Although Tucker grew up on their farm, he and his mom didn’t start growing berries until 2005 after he had earned a business degree and spent some time in the mortgage industry. The name Lost Loon Farms, however, was something they came up with 20 years before.

Intrigued? Order some of Lost Loon Farms’ gourmet jams, and taste the Maine-made difference.