Great Lakes Favorites

Jars that taste like our wider neighborhood

The Great Lakes Favorites shelf is where you find the jars that feel like old neighbors. Nothing fancy, nothing fussy, just the kinds of pickles, fruit spreads, and sturdy sauces that seem to show up at every potluck, fish fry, and Sunday dinner. Most start with what our Ohio and Great Lakes farms grow best, then head into modest kettles where we stir in sugar, vinegar, and spices you would recognize from your own cupboard. Amish and family partners share the habits and seasoning they grew up with, which helps keep these recipes grounded and honest.

If you are just getting to know us, or stocking a new kitchen, the Pantry Starter Pack is a simple way to begin. It gathers a handful of everyday jars that work hard: a pickle that brightens sandwiches and roast meats, a fruit spread for toast and biscuits, maybe a sauce that turns plain chicken into something worth sitting down for. These are the jars that move quickly, the ones you replace without thinking because everyone has quietly grown attached.

When you want to share that feeling with someone else, our Giftable Duos step in. Two jars tucked together make an easy housewarming or thank you gift, especially for folks who like to cook or keep a neat pantry. You might pair a mild pickle with a fruit preserve, or apple butter with a barbecue sauce, knowing they will find their way onto breakfast tables, snack boards, and late night sandwiches. For December gatherings and long distance family, the Holiday Gift Boxes carry that same neighborly spirit through the mail in a way that feels warm but not showy.

People who want to keep their pantry close to home tend to gravitate toward our Ohio Pantry Picks. Those jars lean especially hard on produce and recipes that feel rooted in this state: apple butters that taste like fall at an orchard, pickled vegetables that sit well alongside sausages and mashed potatoes, sauces that work for Friday fish fries and backyard cookouts by the lake. If fruit is what calls to you first, the Fruit Lovers choices pull together salsas, preserves, and butters that follow you from breakfast toast to evening cheese boards.

What ties all these favorites together is how easily they fit into an ordinary day. Open any jar and you will find short, clear ingredient lists: fruit or vegetables, a touch of sugar where it belongs, vinegar, salt, and spices. No extra clutter. A spoonful of apple butter on toast while the coffee brews, a few bread and butter pickles beside leftover roast, a bit of sauce brushed on chicken before it goes under the broiler. That is the kind of use we picture when we cook small batches out here, sending jars from our corner of the Great Lakes to yours.