Every year, my family and I make a visit to Annapolis Royal. First thing on Saturday morning I head over to the Farmer’s Market. It’s an open air market that is bursting with the smells, sights and sounds of the Annapolis Valley. For a few locals it’s a weekly social gathering, for others it’s a plethora of local produce and fresh baked goods that can easily stir you to dizzying heights.

As I was walking past the local town crier who was handing out fliers for that evenings Kings Theatre performance, I glanced at a table of jellies and other preservatives. I never used to like jelly. Don’t know why. Maybe it’s because I’m a messy eater and can imagine the inevitable.

As I handed over the cash, the nice lady standing behind the table must’ve sensed my trepidation when out of the corner of my eye I noticed a jar of lavender jelly.

“What?” I exclaimed, “Lavender jelly?” The lady told me that the recipe was her grandmothers and it’s one of her best sellers. Knowing this, I simply had to give it a try.

Monday morning when the toast popped up, I had the jar of lavender jelly and a knife ready to go. Suddenly, as I opened up the Mason jar a thought came to me. What if I hate it? What if the one thing I boasted about (before even tasting it) is something that will end up in the back of my fridge beside the expired prune yogurt and the baking soda box?

So I slathered it on my toast and took a huge bite. WOW! Thanks to lavender jelly for Annapolis Royal’s Farmers Market, I can enjoy summer from a jar on my toast and am now looking to experiment with other flavours.

By the way, I’m not a fan of marmalade!