Field Jam LLC

Business Plan

Field Jam LLC is a product-based business that specializes in delicious canned goods such as jams, pickled vegetables, tomato salsa, sauce, and puree. Our high-quality recipes, exclusively from Ball Blue Book’s Guide to Preserving, are made from fresh ingredients sourced directly from our field. At Field Jam, we believe in providing customers with a taste of nature's bounty conveniently packaged for their enjoyment. Our goal is to offer a wide variety of flavorful and healthy canned goods that cater to the diverse preferences of our target market.

Ingredient suppliers (source)

The main ingredient in each of our products is/will be grown in our field. We don't buy anything from the stores to add to what we grow except for ingredients that cannot be grown such as sugar, salt, pectin, lemon juice, vinegar, etc. The ingredients we cannot grow are purchased at a local grocery store. Most of the produce (raspberries, currants, peaches, blackberries, and several vegetables) in our field qualify as organic. We only spray the blueberries once in May. We use Alaska Morbloom Liquid Flowering Plant Food Fertilizer and Alaska Fish Emulsion Fertilizer Natural Organic Concentrate to grow healthy plants.

Storage areas for equipment, food products and packaging

All the equipment, products, and packaging is stored on a designated shelf in the cool, dark basement area of the house.

Types of equipment used in the production of the food

Water bath canner, pressure cooker canner, blanching pot, canning jars, lids, rings, and hand tools. We use large pots to cook the products, and ladles to stir, mix, and pour product into jars.

Production methods, including packaging methods (canning, overwrap, boxed)

We harvest and freeze the berries (Blueberries, Raspberries, Currants, Blackberries) in late June/mid July so we can make several batches of jam from July to December. We harvest the garlic in early July and pickle them within a week. We start harvesting tomatoes from late in August and make the salsas and sauces throughout September and October.

To make the product, we begin by sterilizing the jars in a hot water canner by bringing the water to a boil and then simmering at 1800. We wash the lids and have them simmer in hot water, until we are ready to place them on the jars. We wash the bands and set them aside. 

Next, we cook the ingredients included in the recipe and prepare the product. When the product is ready, we raise the canning rack above the hot water, place one hot jar at a time on a towel, fill the jar with the product, put the flat metal piece with the rubber gasket (the "lid") on, tighten the circular ring that threads onto the jar (the "band"), and place the jar back on the canning rack. When all the jars are filled, we lower the rack into the hot water, bring the water to a boil, and let it boil for the time given in the recipe instructions. 

After boiling time is complete, we take the lid off the water canner and let the temperature in the canner adjust to outside temperature. We then take the jars out, put them on a towel, and leave them untouched for 24 hours. We then take the bands off the jars, check the lids for proper sealing, put the labels on the product, add the Best By Date, and store them on the shelf.

Products are placed in a box and bubble wrapped when they have to be hand-delivered or shipped.

Transportation methods to other locations or for delivery of products

The product is either hand-delivered by personal vehicle or shipped through USPS.

Addresses of all locations from which we sell our products