BY JODIE SYMONDS
WHAT better way to enjoy your freshly made scone than with a generous serving of fresh homemade strawberry jam?
The Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges are home to some of the most delicious jams, chutneys, wines and other preserves.
Using local produce, providores, cafes and restaurants can turn produce fresh from the fields, orchards and vineyards into something amazing and delicious.
Whether you’re after some tangy tomato chutney to accompany your freshly cut and cooked chips, to a sweet marmalade to smother over your toast in the morning, the variety is endless.
Each product is made with love and aims to get the most out of the beautiful produce from the area, therefore intensifying the flavour for the perfect accompaniment to your dish.
Wineries take great pride in producing wines from local fruit that reflect the unique aspects of place and climate in which they grow.
Cheeses made from milk from cows, and goats, that munch on clean, green pastures is a growing industry producing award-winning product, popular in restaurants throughout the region and further afield.
The variety, creativity and resourcefulness of the makers is worth celebrating. They fearlessly combine fruits and flavours to come up with jams, sauces, jellies and relishes that are exciting to taste.
Beetroot and orange, lime and date, fig and earl grey, red wine and chilli, walnut and cherry, rhubarb and raspberry, pear and ginger … are just a few.
Seek out your local farm-gate sales, market, delicatessen or cafe to purchase some of the best preserves from around the region to plate up something extra special at home, or package into a gourmet picnic.
