questions… I get questions

(originally posted 9/19/2019)

With all the excitement of a new book coming out and the enormous press tour gearing up I don’t want the long-time fan to feel like I’m not going to be there to do the one thing I enjoy doing most of all; answering questions from my readers.

If Lance Manion is known for just one thing, which we all know isn’t true, it’s his commitment to his readers and, in particular, their questions.

Here’s one that came in the other day that I have been looking forward to answering from the moment I laid eyes on it.

Dear Lance;

What is the difference between jelly, jam, marmalade and compote? I need to know.

Yours sincerely,

A Completely Made Up Fan

Well Completely, let me answer that for you.

While they all are made from some combination of fruit and sugar, the amount of fruit used is pretty much the big difference between them.

Jelly, the firmest of the group, is made from fruit juice which is then heated along with sugar, acid and pectin, which is a natural fiber common to most plants, to create a gel-like finished product.

Jam on the other hand is made from chopped fruit and therefore isn’t as structurally sound.

Marmalade is simply what we call preserves that use citrus. They even throw in the rinds! Can you believe that?

And finally, compote is organic matter, typically waste products such as leaves, lawn trimmings or manure, that has been  allowed to decay. Excellent for fertilizing fields or spreading on toast.

My mom use to can compote in the fall to make sure our basement smelled of rot the entire winter.

I hope that answers your question Completely and goes a long way towards explaining my need for a mint after breakfast.

(picture the toast. picture it)