we first tried Copperpot's while cruising the sample options at the Coral Gables Farmer's Market. If this is a Saturday morning activity that you haven't yet experienced - it's the best way to accidently stuff yourself on artisanal, locally grown/made goodies and spend $30 on fish dip by Captain Greg, super sweet iced coffee, strange vegetables from Jerry's Farm Fresh (check out the healthy green soup we made with his vegetables), and jalapeño jam. Yes, jalapeño jam.

Copperpot's makes jams. Their clean design and flavors including classics like strawberry and stranger pairings like the Half Spicy Jam make them one really, really nice local, artisanal company on the Miami craft food scene. But this duo didn't jump into the trendy scene to be trendy, they just wanted to jam.

Read on for more on unusual jam pairing, where to find them now that Miami's Farmer's Market Season is coming to a close and how to mix jam into your ice cream:

Before we get into the nitty-gritty (homemade sriracha!) can you tell us a bit about Copperpots and how you got to jamming?

Tom started Copperpot's while I was away for work one week. Taking from memories of his grandmother in Ohio making jam he got all these foreign-looking (to me, at the time) supplies together and made strawberry jam.

What is your very favorite of your flavors?

My current favorite is our Half Spicy Jam, a customer requested it and we're pretty set on keeping it around. Tom's favorite is, Sriracha – he puts it on EVERYTHING!

What's the most unusual pairing with jam that you've been surprised tastes good?

Pork chops and Apple Butter, seriously! We also heard of someone topping a plain cheesecake with our Red Onion Marmalade!

Talk to me about the jalapeño jam. If anyone out there is skeptical about this pairing, we're sure that your jalapeño jam will make them a believer. We put it out with some cheese and crackers before a dinner party and not only did we look super-sophisticated and in-the-know but it was smash hit – the whole, entire jar was gone – and we were only 7 people.

Jalapeno Jam is perfect! A great balance of sweet and savory means it has something for every person and every pairing! It's a hit at all our family parties.

Did you see a gap in the Miami craft foods market and how has that scene changed since you started making and selling your jam at farmer's markets?

We weren't really looking at the Miami craft food scene or had even thought about whether there was one or not. We started making something we loved and as we emerged into the farmer's market we noticed it pretty much blew up! We've met so many awesome people, food artisans like Novae Gourmet, Rok Kat Ice Cream and Proper Sausages all came up at about the same time. We have just been lucky to ride this wave alongside them.

What's the best jam for a good ol' PB & J?

Here you've gotta stay true to the classic and go with Strawberry! If you're feeling daring, try your next PB&J with Jalapeno Jam!

Are there any local craft food vendors that you recommend? Any friends on the scene we should know about?

We have made so many good friends/connections in the scene, this list could get long but here goes:

Laurie's Pantry Granola

Rok Kat Ice Cream

Novae Gourmet

Proper Sausages

Freakin' Flamingo

Pika Sauce

So, you've expanded beyond jam and into the hot sauce market. Sriracha is, like, the hottest thing out there right now (pun intended!), what makes yours nice?

Our attention to a little detail like the ingredient list really puts our Sriracha above the store bought stuff. We're also using a method that, while taking longer, really preserves the type of flavors we're looking for. That rooster stuff's got nothin' on us!

Your website has some ideas for seasonal recipes, like a winter squash seed snack recipe that uses your sriracha. What's something you'll be making this summer to cool you down?

We'd love to have time to experiment with jam-infused cocktails this summer! After having read some recipes online it's something we're into trying. As a classic summer companion we have made some jam inspired and infused ice creams. Thanks for reminding me we need to post them! ;)

You also make chili garlic rice wine vinegar. What's a good use for this?

The vinegar really lends itself to everyday use. We mix some up with greek yogurt for a lite but creamy dressing. You can use it to lend a pop of flavor to a marinade that's gone kinda boring. You can even use it to finish off your favorite bowl of soup.

Now that the farmer's market season is mostly over where can we get a hold of some Copperpots?

We'll be popping up at events like the Indie Craft Bazaar on July 23rd and you can always email us at orders@copperpots.me if you need a fix.

We've been laying low lately, but plan on coming out with some big news in the near future. That should make for an interesting fall/winter season.

Anything else that you'd like to let us know about? Any upcoming projects or exciting flavors to look out for?

We're always dabbling in our test kitchen, we're honing in on some new and exciting options for Copperpot's as a brand and will definitely be keeping all our loyal fans, followers, friends and customers in the loop. We could not do this without the love from the community!

~slow down, jam on!

#madeinmiami: copperpots jam