SQUIRL is a new take on traditional preserve and jam making.

Based in Los Angeles, SQUIRL only works with farmers who farm organically. The fruit is then preserved simply with a minimal amount of organic cane sugar, naturally occurring pectin and crafted in small-batch copper jam pans handspun by nearby coppersmith, David Burns, of Rough and Ready.

Preserves are a mix of the traditional, such as preserved Meyer Lemons and Moro Blood Orange Jelly, as well as more unusual ideas, including Mulberry & Thai Basil jelly, and Mandarinquat (a hybrid cross of Mandarin and Kumquat) spiced marmalade.

Long Beach-born jam-maker Jessica Koslow spent time working in pastry at the James Beard award-winning restaurant Bacchanalia in Atlanta, Georgia. When she returned to California, Jessica was attracted to the diversity of local produce – beautiful and honest snapshots of the state’s vigorous growing seasons.

Her preserves are made without shortcuts. In order to maintain the brightness of the fruit a batch can take up to three days to produce due to the stove-top pectin making process: SQIRL’s pectin is derived from seasonal fruits, which are soaked then cooked low and slow to pull as much pectin from the fruit and rinds as possible.

The results are meticulously crafted preserves that not only portray the wealth and diversity of California’s crops and its generous seasons, but also remind us of the value in the antique process of preservation. Sqirl — it’s the jam