~ The story of Hacienda Maize Jammin’ Jellies — chiles! hot pepper jelly bliss — as submitted to Martha Stewart’s American Made contest, August 2012 ~
In the kitchen with Grandma: Mary Muhic Maize, Terri Maize and Diana Maize
My American Made Story
My story involves my mother and grandmother, and our family’s love of sensational foods and delicious food experiences. We are Coloradoans; our links to fresh foods from the field and how to “preserve” those tastes for the winter are in our family genes, now involving the “Millennial” generation of Maize women.
Our story is about chile pepper love. Hacienda Maize started in 2010, founded upon our long-famed jalapeño pepper jelly. We now have a line of 3 hot pepper jellies, milder to hot, each uniquely seasoned to complement individual chile pepper characteristics and satisfy yearnings for novel tastes.
Hacienda Maize Fire-Roasted Chile Jammin’ Jellies are about delicious excitement. Jammin’ Jelly delivers on food-lovers’ desires for fresh and piquant tastes with the earthiness of fire-roasted chiles and distinctive combinations of spices that enliven cooking adventures and dining pleasures, from BBQ to curries.
Consistently-heard reactions to our Jammin’ Jellies include: “awesome!”, “amazing!”, and some super-complimentary unmentionables. We are out, about, and beloved at many events throughout the year.
Our Hacienda Maize journey is one of collaboration: working together as a family, learning from peers (in food or other industries), trying/exploring/adapting each day, and helping other producers along the way.
We have three immediate goals: grow and thus benefit and inspire our helpmates, expand our line (honoring chiles and corn), and introduce a fully-organically-grown chile (!!!) with Jammin’ Jelly magic.
