I understand that many people don’t want to consume sugar these days, even if it’s organic and/or unrefined. If you’re looking for an alternative to sugar in fruit preserves, well, there are plenty of fruit-juice-sweetened candidates out there. The shame of it is that I almost never find preserves sweetened with fruit juice that taste as good as those containing added sugar. Usually, those preserves taste like the white grape juice concentrate or pear juice concentrate with which they’re sweetened, and there’s little flavor of the fruit that’s supposed to play the starring role.
In fact, I’ve only tasted one brand whose fruit-juice-sweetened preserves are truly exceptional (I mean, good enough to give as gifts). Food for Thought is a Michigan-based maker of organic preserves. They produce some fine preserves with sugar (try the Cherry Raspberry, a great pairing), but their fruit-juice-sweetened items amaze me, because you’d never know they don’t contain added sugar. For instance, the Apple tastes like an apple pie filling minus the spices; similarly, the Tart Cherry is reminiscent of a good cherry pie filling.
Another aspect of Food for Thought worthy of anyone’s admiration is the fact that they don’t just pay lip service to a green lifestyle. Their products are certified organic; their sugar is both organic and Fairtrade. A percentage of their earnings are given to non-profit groups that work to protect the environment. Employees here are given paid days to volunteer for non-profit organizations.
The President of the company, Timothy Young, built his house from recycled materials and wood taken from the building site. Even the so-called factory, built largely from recycled materials and wood indigenous to the area, meets American Lung Association standards for maximizing indoor air quality and sustainability. This is no big corporate ploy to go with the hot trend in public awareness; the company does these things because Young, who has a most interesting background, believes this is the way his company should be run.
If you absolutely can’t stand the thought of eating any more fruit preserves now (and really, if you do feel that way, just what have you been doing lately?), you’ll find some help here. In addition to their preserves and organic dried fruit, Food for Thought offers Organic Pickled Wild Leeks (one of their wildcrafted line) and Righteous Chipotle Hot Sauce (also organic).
Salsa, honey, maple cream — you’ll find them all. Gift selections, too, of course. For all the (juicy) details or to order, visit the website. Oh, and if you’re interested, you can find more of my comments about their fruit-juice-sweetened preserves under their Testimonials section, one of very few such statements I’ve ever sent anyone about their products. It’s just that good.