Jam Slam: Carrot Jam

It's the last day of the month, and I'm finally getting around to posting my March entry in MyRomanApartment's Jam Slam Challenge. The delay is due to the fact that I couldn't produce a postable picture. I mean, how do you glam up a jar of bright orange stuff? In lieu of a picture that shows how my food photography skills truly suck, here's something I think is much better.

This is a poster that was handed out at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal. You can download it, courtesy of the US Forest Service, at bit.ly/bountyofbees.

Back to the carrot jam. Always in season, carrots seemed like an interesting candidate. This is the recipe I followed and by "followed" I mean this:
* the carrots went through the juicer for a smooth jam (rather than being grated)
* the orange, lemon and lime went through the juicer, too (rather than being zested, then juiced)
* 1 cup of sugar was replaced with honey-water
* 1 cup of sugar was replaced with honey

The result? The carrot jam is grainy yet smooth in texture – think apple sauce – and this stuff is SWEET. Holy cow! is it sweet. Next time, I'll definitely forego a cup of sweetener, to allow the flavor of the carrots shine through. And a little fresh ginger wouldn't hurt, either.

So far I've eaten it on toast, tried to make Fage yogurt palatable, and threw a dollop into a buffalo pot roast that was too salty. Meh. Any suggestions out there? How would you eat this stuff?