Homemades by Carolyn M. | Best Of

 

Sitting at her table at the Mt. Calvary Mission Mart Saturday, Oct. 4, Carolyn Mullikin talks about the jars of homemade pear relish, hot pepper relish, pickle relish, pepper jelly and blackberry jelly with the pride of a momma bird watching her babies leave the nest.

And with good reason. Visitor after visitor to her booth, after a taste of her red or green pepper jelly on a cracker with cream cheese, all said the same thing, “Mmm … That's good.”

Retired for more than 10 years from the Bleckley County School System, Carolyn has been canning and preparing jams and jellies and relishes for a long time. “I started helping my mom when I was growing up.”

She said, “We started making blackberry jelly, and then I started branching out and doing different things. People started asking me about making this and that, and they would give me recipes, and I would try them.”

A half pint jar of her 'homemades' cost $3.25 and a pint costs $6. “A lot of my recipes that I use come from family.”

Saturday's arts and crafts festival was the first time she had been to such an event in a while. “I was doing woodwork with my dad, and then he couldn't do that anymore, so I picked up the homemades.”

Most of her homemades, she said, “can be eaten with most anything … I use my blackberry jelly every morning, and eat the pickles. My doctor told me I need to eat the pickles to get my blood pressure up.”

She said that the response to her homemades has been really good. “I have been pickling pears, and was looking for some, and a nice lady from Mt. Calvary brought some pears for me.” Her red and green pepper jellies are popular at Christmas.

Her next project will include doing some pear bread. “I have tried some, and it is really good, so we will see.” She said she was also working on some pear marmalade.

“And I will be looking into trying some other stuff too.”

For more information about Carolyn Mullikin's Homemades call or text (478)230-8223, or e-mail cammullikin@yahoo.com.