Lena's Orchard began after our family moved to Martinez, California, where our property is home to a 15-year-old Santa Rosa plum tree. Every June, the tree explodes with hundreds and hundreds of incredibly juicy plums.
At first, we didn't know what to do with all the fruit, so we began making homemade jam in small batches by hand using simple recipes and no additives.
What started as a family tradition quickly became something we looked forward to every single spring. Our daughter Lena and our German Shorthaired Pointers, first River and now Gunner, count down every year as the orchard begins to wake back up after winter.
Watching the plum tree come back to life and finally bear fruit during the first weeks of June became part of our family rhythm, signaling the start of the long hot summer days to come.
As the tradition grew, we expanded beyond plums. This year we visited Brentwood, California, and hand-selected ripe Coral cherries directly from local orchards to create our cherry jam collection.
Everything at Lena's Orchard is strictly seasonal. Fruit is either organically grown at our home or personally hand-picked by us from nearby orchards at peak ripeness. We intentionally choose only the best fruit and produce every jar in very small batches by hand.
No additives. No shortcuts. No artificial ingredients.
Just ripe fruit, simple recipes, and tradition.