Computer Man Turns Jam Man

Why retire when you can make your very own jam all day, every day?

Such is the philosophy of the Nyack's farmers' market "Jam Man," who runs the B&B Jams booth.

(Normally, college kids for hire run the market booths in the blazing summer sun—but they've all left for school, leaving the Jam Man himself, Steve Geisel, to operate the tent.)

And B&B's free jam samples sure were tasty last Thursday. 

Geisel's flavors are varied—everything from your typical grape and mango combinations to strawberry-pineapple (which I tried, and couldn't get enough of).

Some of the particularly unusual jams—such as apricot jalapeño and pear ginger—are best used for cooking, Geisel said.

All the fruit comes from five different local farms, including Conklin's (which is also at the weekly market)—at Conklin's, Geisel personally handpicks the fruit he wants. Additionally, everything is all natural: just fruit and some sugar, no artificial ingredients. B&B Jams has 90 different flavors (depending on the season) and sells over 15,000 jars each year.

Not bad for only selling at farmers' markets! Geisel's spots stretch as far up as Newburg and as far over as Cranbury, NJ, he explained.

"People are looking at themselves more in this tough economic time, and want to be healthier," he added, discussing the jams' success. "Many turn to the farmers' markets for that.

Still, it hasn't been easy as of late.

"The last few years have been a little slow at the markets," Geisel said. "But as the economy is picking back up, so is business."

Now, the burning question: how did Geisel become the "Jam Man"?

Retiring after working in computers for 30 years, Steve decided to work on his golf game. But after awhile, things brcame a bit boring. One day, his wife, who worked at an elementary school, brought home a whole lot of grapes with the purpose of canning them. They had so many cans that they didn't know what to do with them—and eventually converted them into jam to save space.

Not too long afterward, his wife told him about a neighborhood diabetic boy who couldn't afford his medication. As a fundraising effort, Steve bought several bagels to sell alongside the jam.

The next day, Steve's wife brought the food to the teachers lounge. Within an hour, she called up Steve: everything was sold, she reported happily. They made all the money needed to help out the needy child—oh, and Steve was happy to get the jam out of the house.

A week later, teachers started calling asking for more jam. Steve thought everyone was crazy, but per his wife's persistency, he decided to make a few different flavors.

The jams were a hit, and so B&B Jams was created—and is now seven years old. Some recipes he invented himself, and others he borrowed from a 25 cent cookbook he discovered at a garage sale.

"So much for retirement," Steve chuckled last Thursday. True, he picks, creates and jars all the different varieties all by himself in his New City home—but it's easy to see how much he loves it.