Not long ago, Father Dennis Backer, priest at St. Luke’s Church in Clearwater, was feeling stressed and realized he didn’t really have any hobbies that would help. Instead of learning to paint or taking up golf, he started jamming.

 

“Someone pointed out a patch of wild raspberries to me,” said Father Backer. “I had a handful that day and the next, and realized I wasn’t going to be able to eat all of these, so how could I save them?”

 

Going online, he found a recipe for raspberry jam and decided to give it a try. He enjoyed the process so much he started looking for jam recipes for other fruits, tried some of them out, and was hooked.

 

His first batch was made on July 3, 2015, and by the time St. Luke’s Fall Festival came around in August that year he had created 12 different jams, one for each of the 12 disciples, and put together a basket for the Festival’s “Baskets From Heaven” silent auction. It sold for $275. 

 

His jam making grew from there, and today he has 20 recipes that he’s created using 20 different types of fruit, many of them ones never found in a grocery store.

 

Most of them have turned out great, although he’s had a few that didn’t. The pomegranate came out like concrete, and he couldn’t get the honeydew to set. 

 

For Father Backer, the most fun part of the entire process is naming his creations. He has Biblical Blackberry and Beatified Banana, Peaceful Peach and Penitential Pineapple, and Wisdom Watermelon and Worship Wild Raspberry.

 

Angelic Apple Pie has been his most popular jam to date, although he’s been told his Catechetical Carrot Cake will be giving it a run for it’s money. Catholic Cantaloupe is his own personal favorite.

 

Although he picks fresh fruit when he can, most of it he purchases at the local grocery store. Those that were picked by hand have stickers indicating, “These berries were picked by Father Backer.”

 

“Part of what I enjoy about the jamming is it gives me something to focus on,” he explained. “I also enjoy making something by hand and being able to give it away.”

 

Along with creating the basket for the fall festival’s silent auction, he offers individual jars for sale during the event. He also brings jars to give to the homebound during his visits, and gifts wedding and baptism couples with jars.

 

The jams were also used as a promotional tool for the church’s fundraiser for their parking lot surface. Father Backer jokingly mentioned if they sold 30 jars of jam at $1,000 each, they would have it paid for. 17 people took him up on the offer, and $17,000 was raised from his jam alone.

 

Last year one of his parishioners encouraged him to enter his jams in the Wright County Fair. Although he’d only been making them for a month he decided to give it a try. He received a second place and two merits. This year he entered five jars, and came home with a ribbon on each.

 

He calls his entire process “Jammin’ for Jesus,” and jokingly says it’s his retirement plan. 

 

St. Luke’s Fall Festival will be held on August 28 this year, and Father Backer has created a basket featuring a jar of each of his 20 jams for the silent auction.

 

“It’s been a conversation starter and a fundraiser,” he said.