As I was trying to write something up for this so-called digital diary of mine (because blogging is so yesterday :P ), I felt a bit peckish so I made myself a plate of PBJ sandwich. I love PBJ. You can have it for breakfast, lunch, dessert, and even as a snack. I am so sorry for you guys who are allergy to peanuts. I seriously don’t know what my life would be if it’s nut-less.
The key to a finger-licking good PBJ is the jam. It has to have a strong natural fruit flavor and not being overly sweet at the same time, which is redonkeylously hard to find. Most store-bought jams are cavities-inducing sweet and only has a slight hint of the fruit flavor. Lucky for me, this is no longer a problem after I discovered the best jam in town from Tigidou.
Tigidou is a family owned jammery/confiturery/jam factory located in Ile d’Orleans, the best island for agrotourism in the Quebec region and it is located just a bridge away (or 40 minutes drive) from downtown Quebec. Rumor has it about Tigidou is that two sorcerers came back to the island and whipped out their legendary recipe for jams made from local best berries and a sprinkle of magic dust. They prepare cauldrons of fresh jams in a humble-looking barn on top of a hill every summer. Well, sorcerers or not, their jam is the best I’ve had so far in Quebec City.
The name Tigidou
The name Tigidou is quite cute. The kind of name I would give to a pet, frankly. Who’d have thought that such a cute name would have a profound meaning behind it? Tigidou means perfect, both in archaic French and English (slang).
The adorable shop
Their one and only shop is nestled on top of a hill inside an adorable barn, right where they make their famous jams. Inside this barn, you can find their extensive potion collections made exclusively with the berries found in the islands, herbs from their own garden and spices from northern Quebec, sweetened with organic fair-trade sugar. Berries, especially strawberry from Isle d’Orleans. Their store is exclusively open during harvest season tho, those sorcerers are only busy jamming during this season because they use nothing but the freshest ingredients cultivated locally, which only available in summer. On the other seasons, the sorcerers are busy doing other stuff like turning the upper part of the store as Bed and Breakfast inn, and attending Witchfest.
The divine jams
Making jams might sound easy, or at least that’s what I have thought. I did try to make my own strawberry jam once, and once was more than enough. My jam was kind of liquid-y with chunks in it and in three days it changed it’s identity from a jam in a jar into a bacteria compound/fungus residence/dragon vomit in a jar. I was told that perhaps I didn’t put enough sugar in my jam. Those pure souls were trying to console me, but little that they know, I have put enough sugar that can get an elephant a sugar high and never come back down. Tigidou jam, however, is totally on the opposite end of my jam. Their jam is D.I.V.I.N.E., and that’s not even the best part of it; they have interesting mixes of jams you can choose from.
Having a hard time choosing what you want? Well, like wisemen say; when in doubt, just take four of them.
The other divine products
If you think jams are the best thing these sorcerers make, well, you should be glad that you are wrong. Check this out, they have a wall full of different fruit coulis for making cocktails (or cooking). Again, when in doubt, just take a few of them.
The jam bar
My favorite part of this shop (which every food shop should have) is the tasting corner. No, not the kind of tasting some samples in a flimsy, microscopic muffin cups of whatever food they are trying to sell, those only makes you want to avoid the food instead. The tasting corner of this shop called the jambar. This is where you can taste all the jam and coulis flavors you are interested to buy before buying it, you know, just to help you to be sure of how many of bottles each you need. Yes, remember, winter is coming, better stock up those fresh jams while you can.
If you are like me who has no self control is enthusiastically curious to enjoy the jam you just bought, you can get freshy baked scones from this jam bar and blabber it with the jam. Fresh scones are best served with a generous dollop of a good jam and a bottle of homade soda.