Meet Afton Cyrus
Afton grew up in Maine, where she first learned to can and preserve food from her family’s garden as a teenager. After moving to the Boston area for college, she pursued a career in music and education. Throughout this time, she continued to can her own jams, pickles, and fruit preserves every summer, and her love of food and cooking continued to grow. Afton got to know local farms in the area, and became passionate about local, seasonal eating and sustainable agriculture.
In 2014, Afton decided to bring her love of cooking to the forefront and launched Jam Sessions. Through this venture, she aims to inspire others to can and preserve at home and highlight the wonderful produce local New England farms have to offer. Her work with Jam Sessions led her to a career as a recipe developer and food editor at America’s Test Kitchen, where she developed recipes for cookbooks, including the great canning resource, Foolproof Preserving & Canning. When she’s not jamming, Afton continues to work as a freelance recipe developer and culinary educator.
Let’s Jam!
Canning Demonstrations
Live demonstrations of the canning process from start to finish and a Q&A session. Great for larger groups and can be done in any setting, including virtually!
Hands-On Classes
Learn the ropes of the home canning process in one of our hands-on classes. Check out our upcoming events and our monthly class series at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts!
Private Canning Parties
Gather a group of friends and we’ll set up in your very own home for canning party. We’ll make something all together and everyone will leave with new skills and a jar of something they made!