Girl Meets Dirt: Orcas Islands Preserves

Before irrigation turned Eastern Washington into the country’s orchard, the San Juan Islands shipped fruit across the West. The industry vanished, but the trees kept going. Plum, pear, quince, and apple trees planted more than a century ago still bud and bloom and drop fruit into Orcas Island valleys every year. 

Audra Lawlor cooks that fruit. She grew up in Vancouver, Washington, learning pies from her Polish grandfather. She spent ten years on Wall Street, weekends at the Union Square Greenmarket. Then she and her husband bought five acres on Orcas, quit their jobs, and moved out. The first summer, the Shiro plum tree on her property dropped 150 pounds of fruit. She bought a copper pot and taught herself to make jam. A neighbor pointed across the road to thirteen pear trees over a century old and asked if she knew about the orchard history of the islands. She didn’t, yet. She does now. 

We’ve carried Girl Meets Dirt for years. Here’s what makes the jars worth seeking out: the fruit is picked ripe, close to where it’s cooked, often from trees that have been fruiting for generations. Audra works with island farmers and uses no pectin, which means she stands at the pot and stirs until the preserve sets on its own sugar and acid. The fruit tastes like fruit. 

A walk through what’s on the shelf: 

Pear Balsamic. The one we recommend first. Put it on a cheeseboard with taleggio or a blue. Or whisk a teaspoon with balsamic, olive oil, salt, and shallots for a fast vinaigrette. 

Orcas Pear. Island pears cooked rosy with bay leaves from Audra’s garden. Good on panna cotta or cheesecake. 

Quince Cutting Preserve. A single-varietal membrillo, made by hand over several days. Slice it for a cheeseboard with manchego. 

Hot Damn Pepper Jam. Pepper jelly with the spice turned up. Spread it on cream cheese, brush it on grilled salmon. 

Rhubarb Lavender. Valentine rhubarb from JBS Farm in Crow Valley, with English culinary lavender from the garden. 

Raspberry Rose. Cascadia berries with Iranian rosewater that longtime staffer Farshad carries back himself. 

Ginny Jam. Limited release. Italian plums from Warm Valley Orchard spent a year soaking in gin at Copperworks Distilling for their Plum Gin. Copperworks called and asked if Audra wanted the boozy plums back. She did. Her crew hand-pitted every one and turned them into preserves. 

Come by the shop and we’ll set you up, or order from our website. We now offer same-day delivery for just $10 to most of Seattle. Order by noon and we’ll get it to you by dinner.