Republic of Jam

Great place to try flavors you’ve never experienced!
The cocktail parties rock!

If you find yourself in the Wine Country of Carlton, OR, do not pass on visiting this tiny little jam shop because this is no ordinary jam shop. Republic of Jam offers unique, FRESH jams, made from local OR fruit. I live in Hawaii, and when my friends from OR visit, they always bring us a jar of their unique and seasonal jam. This time I got to visit the shop for myself and after tasting just about every jam on the shelf, bought a jar of Pacific Berry and Peach Praline. Pacific Berry is a very rare berry with only 25 plants left in the whole world. The Peach praline has actual chunks of peaches and pralines in it and is spiced to perfection.
The other goodies that I like from The Republic of Jam are their syrups. I’m not typically a soda drinker. Soda from the stores are full of artificial, cancer causing ingredients. But take some of Republic of Jam’s fresh ingredient syrups, add a little club soda to it and I have a fresh glass of fruit soda with flavors like strawberry shrub, plum shrub, spiced peach. Can’t get any better,
The refrigerator in the shop also carries goat cheese ice cream sandwiches and parfaits, which are rich and flavorful. Obviously this is much more than just a jam shop. It is a destination stop with the most unique selection of a simple staple. Be sure to visit!

Another tasting but not wine. Yummy jams. Over 30 flavors. Taking several home. Worth a stop when in Carlton

Five cheers for Republic of Jam: you became my Valentine. It’s been a very long time since I have had a real Valentine on Valentine’s day. The most appropriate saying is: a girl without a honey, needs a little jam. Cocktails are AMAZING — too.
For people in single-​hood: Each Valentine’s day feels like it needs to skip off the radar. Down with the cute candy and mushy-​sweet-​nothings.
I will not turn down wine, chocolate, jam, or cocktails though. A single girl can’t cry on a day like Valentine’s day. I will not turn down a free cocktail. When I was sent their quarterly email announcing a cocktail party for the holiday, I couldn’t feel anything but curious.
So finally I decided, Yes, I am brave enough to crash this party. It didn’t matter that I was a single thirty-​something woman alone on Valentine’s day (just hanging out with my crazy dad and my fun mother), no, none of that mattered. This party though, was the bomb.
They gave me four cocktail coupons which included sparkling wine from one of my favorite places, Kramer Vineyards. The names were all so clever and included, «Love Potion #9» and «Monkey Sex on the Beach». The fun didn’t stop with the cocktails.
They also had saffron rice, pulled pork with Jam Sauce, and a few special desserts too. I was a happy girl. Sure made for a special Valentine’s Day.
What makes Republic of Jam so special is that almost every weekend they make samples of amazing recipes for patrons to try and sample. I heard the Cocktail party isn’t just on Valentine’s day, but also 2 other times a year. I was fortunate to be invited to party with people who know how to host a party with amazing offerings. Thanks for making me feel special as well as giving your customers quality products to savor and use. We love you.

We visited on a Saturday in late February. We walked in at the same time as a group of about 4 other people. The person behind the counter greeted us all warmly and immediately began to set up a tasting. We didn’t stay for the tasting but purchased a jar of lavender blueberry jam. I was so pleased with the simple list of ingredients, and even more pleased with the delicious flavor. I can’t wait to try their other products!

Wow.
Pork belly goodness. Goat cheese cheesecake.
And the friendliest folks in town running it.
Please stop by. No, I insist. You’ll love it.

This place is fantastic! I’ve been twice while visiting the Portland area. Wonderful flavor combinations, sweet and savory, yum. I make a yummy chicken dish in the crock pot with their Peach Balsamic Vinegar. Wish I lived closer, though I have been able to purchase online. All the staff I have interacted with have been friendly and helpful.

Awesome combinations of fruits and herbs in the jams. Hospitality can’t be beat — the tasting plate was amazing!

Love this place! Outstanding selection of jam, from the old standbys, to really interesting combinations that are worth a try and often a buy. The fact that you can taste any (or all) of the flavor is perfect. Wine tasting is common, but jam tasting? Only in Carlton! And don’t miss the other items… pickled blueberries, smoked cherries. Yum!

After a morning of wine tasting we drove into Carlton for lunch and decided to make Republic of Jam the «appetizer.» When we walked in a customer at the counter paying turned and advised us not to taste anything. It only took a couple minutes to figure that one out — every jam you taste you want to buy. The flavors are incredible. The jams are not overly sweet. There are many wine country inspired flavors such as a jam with pinot noir and seasonal flavors like rhubarb vanilla. It’s a perfect place to buy some gifts and stock up for your own pantry. I even bought a pear lemon rosemary syrup that I’m looking forward to using for cocktails. Their website has recipes too, so if you’re not sure what to do with Mango Jezebel jam they might have some ideas there.

Time to update my first constructively critical review of tasting room experience at Republic of Jam. I heard back from the owner very soon after posting my original last November. In her nice reply, she shared information about a recent staffing change, acknowledged the problems and also said this, «…We will work on it, and we will make it better. If you find yourself in Carlton again, please give us another chance…»
I heard from the owner again a week or so ago to say they implemented some changes at the store, some of which had been the result of my review, they were having an event to unveil them and she hoped I could attend.
Top notch and gracious customer care follow up from this owner. I can’t attend the event but it is well worth posting an update to the review to eliminate my previous 2 star rating and replace it with this one. I’m a big fan of Republic of Jam products and I’m also the attention paid by the owner to customer care is as good as it gets!

I dropped in with my Mom after wanting to visit for some time. We tried about 10 jams, I took home 5. The flavors were unique and tasty. I gave them in gift baskets to friends and family for Christmas.

Outstanding jam!
There is a myriad of flavors available and each and every one of them unique!
This is an adorable place to swing by while in Carlton wine tasting.
I highly suggest getting your hands on the good food award winning marrion berry espresso! HEAVEN in a jar!

«You’ve been jammed.»
That’s what I thought after I left this amazing little shop with six different jars of sweet, sweet fruity goodness. Among my favorites: apricot/​beer/​thyme and blueberry lavender.
Get the swanky jam tasting. Seriously. You will enjoy some delicious and creative bites of food that will make you question why you waste your precious jam on toast.
There are a lot of artisinal jams around these days but Republic of Jam stands head and shoulders above them all. I feel confident in saying that if they were based in Portland, they would be written up in all the magazines and blogs. Of course, I’m sure it won’t be long. So do yourself a favor and go there now so you can say you knew them when.
And remember: even if you don’t live in Carlton, you can order online!

All Hail Republic of Jam, my new favorite land of goodness. I am not a Jam person by nature but I am a Republic of Jam Fan!!! I can’t wait to go back and introduce more people to this A M A Z I N G place!
I was the designated driver for 9 friends who were wine tasting, and I’m so glad because when we stopped in Carlton I wandered off with one of the gals who had enjoyed enough sips and needed a bit of a break and we found Republic of Jam.
The small shop was staffed by four people, all delightful. The owner was there and she shared some of her favorites with us. You can sample ANY and ALL of the Jams. I kept my sampling to only a few because I wanted to savor and not be overwhelmed. I took home Marionberry Cinnamon and Strawberry Basil. When I tasted the latter I had the urge to bathe in it, yes that is how wonderfully tasty it was, it has layers and complexities I am not qualified to describe.
All of the Jam is made a small batch at a time, right there in the shop, they have one burner. They package and label everything by hand. It is an amazing operation. Oh, and they have some wine too.

What the hell is everyone raving about? I found this a strange little place. For all the 5* reviews, I expected something very different. Our interaction with the despondent worker on a Sunday was so awkward that we picked any old thing, just so we could make a purchase and get the hello out. Have a jar of Gooseberry sage sitting in our fridge.
Combinations are interesting, tastings scant, ambiance lacking — little light, no music, and no smiles :(.

My favorite part about Republic of Jam is that the lady who owns the joint/​makes all the jam gave herself the title of «Jam Master» on her business card. That alone is awesome.
Also, the jams are awesome too. I think I had something like chipotle cranberry. They have many other flavors that one does not usually find at your local supermarket. It seems like the kind of place where the weirder it sounds, the more you want to try it. These kinds of places are my favorite.

Have you been jam tasting?
A stop at Republic of Jam has to be added to your Willamette Valley repertoire.
This was my first time and these flavors were pow! Blackberry vanilla, blood orange black pepper, mango habanero, chocolate cherry, etc.
Familiar tastes, but in a way you haven’t tasted before. Typically a swanky jam tasting at Republic of Jam involves eating food, or food with jam preparations. Not only is this incredibly fun, but it starts to get your mind going with ideas of how to use jam in flavoring your food, taking jam far outside the realm of what you smear on toast.
If you haven’t tried jam tasting, stop and pack your car for Carleton, Oregon, where in addition to great pinot tasting, you can taste jam with the best of them.
At the Republic of Jam shop, we met the owner who had just completed a day of jam making and was applying homemade labels and her son, who was running the tasting room. This is a family affair, and the end product is something special.
They also produce culinary syrups that they sell (we got the apple, ginger) which are tasty added to mixed drinks or mixed with sparkling water.
We love the lables. Old retro labels reminiscent of the labels on wooden food crates in the 30s and 40s.
If you haven’t been to Carlton, Oregon on your Willamette adventures, stop in at Republic of Jam. You won’t regret it. If they have any of the bacon and chocolate bark left to taste, consider yourself very, very lucky.

Action movie fans everywhere know how this goes:
a) Our hero endures a great loss or near-​death experience.
b) Emotions run high; maybe some hysterical sloppy crying is involved.
c) They make out (and ostensibly fall in love) with the nearest person. Of course.
So my friends and I went on a package tour this weekend, where we monkeyed in the trees for some hours, then rolled over to Carlton for wine tasting. In the trees, just before we left, I lost my grip and dropped a good long distance before my harness caught me. But that’s a story for another day. Suffice it to say: almost died before the bus took us to Carlton.
Once there and sipping as you go, you could easily get sloshy and lost before you reach Carlton’s two-​block downtown’s end. That loosely translates to a whole lotta of wine and cheese, and not a lot else. After nearly dying on the aerial adventure, I was shaky, and although I didn’t know exactly what I wanted, I knew it wasn’t wine. Enter high emotions and potential for sloppy crying jag here.
Then I saw the Republic of Jam. «Jam Tasting Today!» said the sign. And the makeout session began. My questions:
Q: What’s the difference between a regular and a swanky taste?
A: Regular Taste is just jam. The Swanky Taste gives you a selection of goodies made WITH jam. Like pulled pork, mini cupcakes and baby pastries.
Q: Why shouldn’t I pay for the Swanky Taste now?
A: If you purchase jam, you get the taste for free. And trust me, after this taste, you’re gonna get it for free.
Q: Who makes this outrageously delicious jam and these goodies?
A: We (they) do. And recipes for the goodies are on their website.
Q: But you live in Carlton and I live in Portland; how can we make this long-​distance relationship work?
A: We’ll always have the internet. And Carlton’s not so far away. We’ll find a way. Now hush… you’ve got a little jam on your mouth… right… there…
They never tell us, in the movies, if it ever works out in the end. But does it matter? It’s a love built on adrenaline and quaintness and jam. If this love is wrong, I don’t wanna be right.

Republic of Jam is the culmination of a lot of hard work, amazing creativity, and a little bit of madness on the part of my wonderful friend Lynnette (and her devoted, tireless partner Amy).
For someone that doesn’t like sweets, Lynnette will open your eyes on a whole new world of jams and preserves. Using only locally grown or sourced fruit along with a myriad of herbs, spices, and other flavors the jams (which are low-​sugar, full flavor, and vegan!) you’ll find are truly mind blowing.
Candied orange fennel
Caramelized apple beer
Five spice cranberry
Cherries in pinot noir syrup
Spiced fig with zinfandel
Blackberry mint
Strawberry basil
These are just some of the flavors you can explore.
The location in Carlton is a full-​service tasting room where a flight of five jams is presented with recommended pairings to nibble on. These are for more than just your morning toast or PB&J (though they’re certainly killer for those things as well!)
Stop in and sample some damn good fruit, get your $ 3 tasting fee waived with just a $ 5 purchase, and if you’re local bring your jar back to be recycled for fifty cents off your next intoxicating jar of deliciousness.
I also love the quirky little additions to ingredients listings, offering «soul,» «funk,» «friendship,» and «love» for example.