For those of you who have visited us here in Shipshewana, you may remember the building which housed the Bread Box Bakery for 20 years. In 2004 the Bread Box Bakery was given a new home next door when we added a new production facility onto the historic Davis Home.

In 2008 we renovated the old bakery building and added a storage section. Why – Peggy says that I desperately need a hobby – I have for many years wanted to make our own jam and jelly. For those of us who grew up in the middle of the last century, making jams and jellies at home was part of growing up. Maybe it is just nostalgia but I wanted to recapture the memories associated with the sweet fragrances and tantalizing tastes of making jam.

Some years ago, my folks passed onto us an old copper kettle (50 gallon) that my great grandfather Anton Scherger bought in the 1890’s. This old kettle was used every fall for three generations to make apple butter. I remember, as a child , climbing in and harvesting apples from the trees which Anton had planted generations before. Even though they had become overgrown and gnarled with age, each fall brought a bountiful harvest.

The process of transforming apples, strawberries, cherries, peaches etc. etc. taught me one very important lesson – making butters, jams and jellies is not rocket science. Attention to detail and lots of good fruit is the key to making a really good product. Why would anyone eat jam except to taste the fruit preserved with all of its summer sweetness and fresh flavor?

Our goal here at (Anton’s) Scherger’s Kettle is to recreate those good flavors with only basic ingredients. Most jams on the market are 35% fruit as opposed to ours which has a minimum of 45%. Our all-natural low sugar jam has a minimum of 70% fruit by weight content. We use evaporated cane juice to sweeten and enhance the fruit flavor of these jams. Please refer to the nutritional page for information on evaporated cane juice and diabetic interaction.