ABOUT MURPHYS SPECIALTY FOODS
Murphys was founded during the California gold rush in 1848 and today is the home to over twenty wineries (and tasting rooms) and hosts tens of thousands of visitors each year. So when Patrick and I (Linda, aka Lady L) decided to sell my Scottish Shortbread, English Toffee, Jams/Jellies and Patrick’s Nuts!, we were fortunate to have friends with local retail stores who wanted to sell our confections. In 2014, we applied for a State of California Cottage Food Permit. Our home kitchen was inspected by the Calaveras County Department of Environmental Health and Murphys Specialty Foods was awarded Cottage Food Permit #1131. We are inspected every year and we have water from our groundwater well tested every year as part of the annual inspection.
Patrick and I take great pride in making exceptional confections and gifts that are unique and enjoyed by Murphys Speciality Foods’ customers world wide. Our Scottish Shortbread, English Toffee and Patrick’s Nuts! are cooked when we receive an order. We keep a limited inventory of Jams, Jellies and Strawberry Vinegar on hand as we believe fresh is best!
About Our Image
When I first discussed opening our specialty food business with one of my mentors, Barbara Blum of Creative Cookware, she told me that “people eat with their eyes first”. Since that revelation, I have spent a lot of time on how to create a gift ready delicious treat. My approach was to create unique hand-made paper molds that would reflect the character of the individual products. When I started with just four (4) designs, I did not anticipate now using 15 different patterns. Some fans of our products have become collectors of the Celtic knots, romantic hand-cut hearts and shamrocks that adorn our packages. Right now, my favorite is the little scarecrow that decorates our Bourbon Smoked Tomato Jam and Sassy Peanut Crunch.
In Our Kitchen
Patrick and Linda preparing orders...
Small Batches of Strawberry jam and Bourbon Smoked Tomato Jam
Making English Toffee...Carmel, Pecans and Dark Chocolate
ABOUT ROLLING MEADOWS FARM
At Rolling Meadows Farm, we grow strawberries and tomatoes. We harvest our strawberries from May through July. Our ripe berries are picked daily, rinsed and fresh frozen to be used as needed in our strawberry jam and vinegar. Our tomatoes are vine ripened, roasted, chopped, then slow cooked for hours. We add cane sugar and spice (and everything thing nice, no just kidding) and we let it simmer. Our tomato jam gets alot of it’s flavor from the Bourbon Smoked Paprika we use in our jam recipe and reminds us of summer in a jar! Sweet and tangy with a hint of heat. Try it on anything from brie to barbecue, avocados to shrimp: See the Avocado, Bacon and Jomato Jam on Croissant photo on the jams and jellies page.
IMAGES FROM AROUND THE FARM
IMAGES FROM AROUND MURPHYS
Linda enjoying a coffee at Aria Bakery on Main Street.
Milliaire Winery, winner of many Gold Metals, has been selling our confections since 2014 at their tasting room on Main Street and is the source of the Chardonnay and Zinfandel grape juice we use in our jellies. MilliaireWinery.com
Moon Alley Hand Crafted Candles on Main Street is one of our favorite places for gifts. Take a look at the photos on our Jams & Jellies page for an example of their extraordinary candles. MoonAlley.com
Ironstone Winery has been selling our confections since 2021. IronstoneVineyards.com
A “priceless” 44 pound gold nugget (mounted on top of a boulder of Mariposite) in the Ironstone Bank Vault
Patrick and Linda at Murphys’ Irish Days Spraying Visitors hair green at the Rotary Booth. Linda has been an Angels-Murphys Rotarian for 10 years. AngelsMurphysRotary.org
Murphys’ Irish Days Celebration with an estimated 10,000 visitors….