EDIBLE ENTREPRENEUR

Mark and Kyla Touris

Sweet Enchantment

Kyla and Mark Touris cast a delicious spell with their Sweet Thing Gourmet jam

By Nancy McKibben | Photography by Autumn LeAnn

Once upon a time, in a modest cottage in an unremarkable corner of Bexley, dwelt a sculptor and a writer. They raised their three children, smiled at their neighbors, clipped their hedges and mowed their lawn. “Nothing to see here,” they might have said.

But when the cottage windows were open and the breeze wafted in the right direction, a passerby might catch the scent of something magical—the juiciness of ripe berries, the tart pucker of rhubarb, the yielding ripeness of a peach.

“Sweet,” he might murmur, and he would be right. Because that modest cottage is the home of Sweet Thing Gourmet, and every year from its kitchen pour 18,000 jars of luscious jam, the alchemy of imagination and hard work.

Obstacles into opportunities

jam-makers for a combined total of 32 years. And although they are scary good at what they do, jam was not Plan A.

Armed with an English degree and a teaching certificate (Kyla) and a Columbus College of Arts degree and a Master’s in Fine Arts in Sculpting (Mark), they married in 1994 and began life in Kyla’s home state of Montana.

“We loved Montana, but it’s a tough place to make a living,” says Mark. Baby Aaron’s arrival prompted a move to Columbus in 2000, where Mark became design director at an ad agency, and Kyla became pregnant with twin girls.

Determined to stay home with her three young children, and inspired in part by Victoria magazine’s stories of women entrepreneurs, Kyla turned to jam.

ing for rose hips with my mom to put in strawberry jam.”

So on a sultry July morning in 2003, with a quaking heart and a borrowed card table, Kyla set up shop at the Worthington Farmers Market with several dozen biscotti and four flavors of jam based on her mom’s recipes. She returned triumphant: “In a couple of hours, I made $300!”

Thus began Sweet Thing Gourmet. “I chose that name because I thought it was a sweet thing the way it all came together—I could stay at home with the kids, still feel productive, and supplement our income.”

Year after year, Sweet Thing flourished. And when Mark’s company was hard hit by the 2008 recession, he officially became the second full-time jam-maker in the business. Sweet Thing was Kyla’s passion. Mark saw it as “a wise choice.” They expanded their farmers market business and took on more wholesale accounts. “We got busier—as we had to, since it was full time for both of us.”

Jammin’ in the kitchen

When photographer Autumn LeAnn and I arrive at the Tourises’, a batch of Rhubarb and Ruby Grapefruit jam is already prepped and bubbling on their non-industrial stovetop. The grapefruit is fresh, the frozen rhubarb purchased from the Amish. In season they use local, fresh fruit.

Typically, they start at 8am and end at 2 or 3pm, making eight to 10 batches of jam. “We work longer days in November and December, 10 to 12 batches,” Kyla says, “with a table set up in the living room for packing gift boxes.” The rest of the day? Labeling, deliveries and bookkeeping.

Under Kyla’s artful direction, jam-making looks like a sleight-of-hand trick: Now you see fruit, now you see jam. In between, the fruit boils, Kyla adds sugar and natural pectin and skims foam from the finished jam, and Mark washes and dries every dirty dish, but they answer my questions as they work, never missing a beat.

“We each have our roles,” Mark says, deftly screwing lids on the scalding jars of jam that Kyla has just poured.

Among Mark’s tasks are design and branding, which includes the website and product labels. “After our first Home and Garden show in 2009, the local Whole Foods rep approached us about carrying our jams,” Mark says. “They wanted each flavor to have a different label, by color.”

Sweet Thing dropped the account when Amazon bought Whole Foods and changed the terms for local sellers. But the labeling has endured: 175 different colored labels to match 175 different flavors of jam.

In their home kitchen, they use “regular household equipment,” producing an average of 1,500 jars of jam per month. They have worn out one stove hood, and every two years must replace the enameled tin kettle used for sterilizing jars; stainless steel, which would wear better, is too heavy. Even so, Kyla dons wrist braces to lug the kettle, filled with boiling water and 19 filled jars, from stove to countertop.

Ninety minutes later, 37 jars of jam sparkle rosily on the granite countertop. The kitchen is clean; indeed, to my admiration, it never really seemed to get dirty. Sweet Thing is a tiny factory of jammy efficiency.

Autumn and I sample the pink foam, at once tart and sweet, and taste summer.

The jam that sells itself

Mark and Kyla make wholesale look easy, too. “We’ve never had to advertise—our jam sells itself,” Kyla says, which

sounds like magic to me. The Inn at Cedar Falls orders 35–40 cases of jam per quarter to sell at the gift shop, and another 35–40 quart-size jars to use in the Inn’s restaurant.

Since 2011, Sweet Thing has produced a signature line of uniquely flavored jams that now form the bulk of their sales. The Speakeasy Collection, based on various cocktails, were “wildly popular” last year, Kyla says. “People buy Cherry Manhattan jam by the case and use it for cocktails.”

Sixty percent of sales happen face to face at central Ohio farmers markets.

Mark, who works in mediums such as wood, granite and found objects, shares his sculpture studio (aka the garage) with a large pallet of empty jam jars and lids, a chest freezer, a folding table, a tent and other paraphernalia of the farmers market. “It’s not ideal,” he concedes.

“It takes us 45 minutes to load after a market,” Kyla says. Multiply that 45 minutes by four (load for the market, set up, tear down, unload again back home) and you begin to understand the rigors of selling at up to six farmers markets a week during the outdoor season.

Nevertheless, Kyla looks forward to the outdoor markets, especially in Worthington, where she’s known her customers for almost 20 years. “I’ve developed relationships with many people. I’ve seen them have kids, and the kids grow up.” She smiles her warm smile, the same one customers see at the market. “I get there and I’m just so happy.”

And that is also part of the magic.

Sweet Thing Gourmet Jams are available at Weiland’s Gourmet Market; Lucky’s; Bexley’s Natural Market; Meza Wine Shop in Westerville; Red Stable Gifts in German Village, and various local farmers markets. For more information and to order online see sweetthinggourmet.com.

Nancy McKibben is happy to combine her loves of eating and writing with the opportunity to advocate for sustainable agriculture in the pages of Edible Columbus. Her latest project is Yucatecan Lullaby, a bilingual (English and Spanish) children’s picture book. She is also a novelist, poet and lyricist, the mother of six and wife of one. View her work at nancymckibben.com; contact her at nmckibben@leader.com.

BEYOND THE TOAST

Kyla and Mark urge customers to “think beyond the toast” when purchasing jam. “Raspberry Jalapeño is delicious on Swedish meatballs,” Kyla says. Cherry Manhattan and Ginger Peach can glaze chicken or pork tenderloin.

A cheeseboard is a natural for jam. Apple Cider Jelly or Vanilla Pear Jam match well with Gorgonzola or Roquefort or goat cheese.

For ice cream? “The Benjamin!” Kyla and Mark cry in unison. Kyla likes to watch customers sample this jam, made from rhubarb and roasted carrot with cardamom. “They don’t think they’ll like it,” she says, “but they always love it.”

The New Albany Country Club specializes in Bourbon and Sweet Thing jam cocktails. Here are two of Kyla’s cocktail recipes:

Don’t Call Me Old Fashioned

2 orange slices Cherry Manhattan jam 2 ounces brandy Ice

Muddle ½ orange slice with ½ tablespoon Cherry Manhattan jam. Shake well with 2 ounces of brandy and 1 cup of ice. Strain into rocks glass, garnish with orange slice and Luxardo cherry.

Spicy Margarita

For 2 cocktails: 3 ounces reposado tequila 3 ounces pineapple juice 1½ ounces limeade (½ cup fresh lime juice, ¾ cup water, 4 tablespoons sugar) 1 tablespoon MP3 jam ½ tablespoon fresh lime juice

Shake well with ice, strain into rocks or margarita glass rimmed with chile salt.

Chile salt: 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, ½ teaspoon chile powder, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

RESPECT FOR THE RADISH

This fast-growing and nutritious vegetable provides a first bite of spring

By Gary Kiefer | Photography by Rachel Joy Barehl

In the diverse troupe of garden vegetables, the humble radish has never been the star. Too often typecast as a mere garnish, the radish rarely received a credit in most classic cookbooks—where the index typically jumps from “radicchio” straight to “raisins.”

But there are good reasons the radish has stuck around for thousands of years. It delivers a peppery bite unlike other root vegetables. It’s easy to grow, takes up little space in a garden and requires minimal maintenance. It comes in a variety of colors and shapes and sizes—and the entire plant is edible. It also provides a good combination of nutrients and dietary fiber.

“Radishes are super versatile,” says Michelle Nowak, farm manager at Franklinton Farms. “They can be eaten raw, of course, but they can also be pickled or roasted or grilled or used in soups. They also have a very long growing season.”

Radishes are often the first fresh vegetable to make an appearance in spring, because the seeds can be planted early and will deliver mature radishes in a little as three weeks. They are a member of the brassica family, which includes turnips, broccoli and cabbage.

Radishes are low in calories and carbohydrates, but they are an excellent source of fiber. For their small size, they also deliver a good dose of potassium, which can help lower blood pressure, as well as immune-boosting vitamin C and other antioxidants.

When you eat a radish, you are sharing an experience with Spanish conquistadors, ancient Greeks and even the workers who built the pyramids in Egypt, according to historical accounts. It is generally believed that radishes originated in Asia and spread west through trade. Today they are grown around the world and in almost every U.S. state. Ohio is actually one of the top five states in radish production.

At Franklinton Farms, Nowak grows at least six varieties of radishes as part of the vegetable and fruit crops that will be distributed to West Side neighbors, included in CSA packages and sold at the Worthington Farmers Market. Launched as a community garden, the nonprofit urban farm operation has grown to include dozens of disconnected neighborhood sites. With a goal of providing healthy food options to the community, the farm includes 12 high tunnels to extend the growing season and a learning garden at West Town Street and Hawkes Avenue that hosts education programs for neighbors and their kids.

Radish season begins with Nowak ordering seeds for about half a dozen varieties from among the dozens of types available in seed catalogs. The spring plantings will include the round red radishes that everyone recognizes, as well as the Easter Egg variety that produces a mix of red, purple, pink and white round radishes. She also grows the French Breakfast radish, an oblong type with a white tip, considered a bit milder and sweeter than other types. As the name indicates, this variety originated in France in the late 1800s. The classic way to serve them is by placing slices on a buttered baguette along with a sprinkling of salt.

As nice as it is to see radishes popping up in the spring, Nowak says that her favorite varieties are the winter radishes, also called storage radishes. Planted in the fall, these slower-growing varieties take six weeks or more to mature, but they can be harvested even after the temperatures drop below freezing. In the high tunnels used at Franklinton Farms, they were still pulling radishes out of the ground during a January visit. “Cold weather really brings out the sweetness in these radishes,” Nowak says. “After they are harvested, you just cut the tops off and you can store them for months in the refrigerator.”

For the most recent late-season planting, Nowak settled on some varieties whose appearances are very different from the spring radishes. The Watermelon radish is probably the most familiar, with a name derived from its appearance: pale green to white exterior with a vivid pink-purple inside. The Green Luobo, which originated in China, resembles a small cucumber with bright green skin and interior. She also plants a purple Daikon variety called KN-Bravo, which

Michelle Nowak

has dramatic purple streaks through the white flesh. “We find that people like the novelty of the different colors and shapes, and also the range of flavors from spicier to sweeter,” she says.

Dr. Timothy McDermott, an educator with Ohio State University Extension, also is a fan of radishes, especially the Watermelon, Easter Egg and Purple Plum varieties. “Radishes are an excellent choice for the beginner to seasoned gardener and do very well here in Central Ohio,” he says. “They can be planted in traditional gardens, raised beds or even in containers.”

McDermott advises planting your radishes early in the

spring or early in the fall so that they mature in cooler weather. In Central Ohio, the first planting can be done as early as mid-March, weather permitting, and you can plant a short row or patch every two weeks until mid to late May to get a constant harvest. He suggests planting again around Labor Day, then every two weeks until around Nov.1 for fall harvesting.

If your soil is classic Central Ohio heavy clay, he says, you should amend it with compost prior to planting so that the roots can achieve a good size prior to harvest. You want to lightly fertilize but not overfertilize, especially with nitrogen, or you will have more leaves than radishes.

“A key part of growing radishes is to thin them to a three-inch spacing shortly after they germinate,” McDermott says. “If they are crowded, they will not get to the right size. Radishes prefer full sun as well.”

Adding radishes to your diet is becoming easier as chefs around the country explore interesting ways to prepare them. You can start with the raw vegetable by adding thinly sliced radishes to a salad or slaw, or eating them with melted butter or your favorite dip. But here are other suggestions:

Pickled—McDermott and colleague Jenny Lobb have posted a YouTube video (youtube.com/watch?v=ee1pC16kQvw) about making spicy radish pickles using an apple cider vinegar brine.

Roasted—Nowak likes to roast her root vegetables and offers this advice: Just slice thinly, spread out on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh herbs, and roast at 350–450°F until tender when pierced with a fork.

Grilled—North Carolina chef Katie Button recommends that you cut your radishes in half, leave the green tops attached, toss them in a little olive oil and salt and grill them. The leaves get crispy and the radish gets tender but still has a bite to it. Serve with a whipped butter.

Grated—The Mid-Ohio Kitchen suggests using grated radishes as a healthy substitution for potatoes in hash brown patties. You can find a variety of recipes online for radish hash browns.

Braised—Faith Durand, the Columbus-based editor in chief of popular food website TheKitchn.com, offers up a recipe for Braised Radishes with Shallots and Bacon at her site, where you can find a variety of other radish recipes.

Sautéed in a wok—This is the method preferred by Boston chef Joanne Chang, because the radishes take on some sweetness as they are caramelized.

You can also take the very simple approach described by pioneer culinary expert James Beard in one of his syndicated newspaper columns almost 50 years ago. Here is what he had to say in a column published by The Columbus Dispatch on Feb. 18, 1973:

“From my earliest years I have adored the crispness, colorfulness, and spicy tang of radishes. I can recall my first feeble efforts at gardening, when I planted little rows of radishes and was so thrilled when they came up, and even more thrilled when it was time to pull them and eat them fresh from the ground. Very few things in life have ever tasted better to me.”

To learn more about the Franklinton Farms operation and mission, visit franklintonfarms.org or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.