Ube (purple) Jam

Can you believe it_ in 2 nights it's gonna be Christmas Eve !!! panic**. . rush%%. . The Noche Buena!!! I remember when I was small, at this point my mother would already be busy in the kitchen.  The likes of leche plan, macapuno, gelatin would be by this time, in my mother's time, already in the fridge_ ready to serve! And never to forget the most tedious to prepare but one of my favorites_ the ube (purple/water/winged yam) jam.

Well, in the mommies generation I belong now, where everything is instant_ gone were those days of bicep/tricep- aching, hand mixing of ube jam until achieving the right sticky consistency. If you really want a personal touch and want it homemade, a handful help of a food processor/blender is not bad .

Me?_I had long resolved the issue of my failure to achieve my mother's ube jam. I quit doing it myself! I just buy bottled ube jam. But I make sure I get the best in town.



I buy from the Good Shepherd in Baguio City. That's why an annual, nearing Christmas day, visit to the city of pine is a must.. hehehe!! Along with the ube jam, I also buy some of my favorite preserved sweets and condiments from this convent store.

The 3 bottles limitation is easy to resolve_ after me, I send the rest of the group to buy more for my household.

While the ube jam and other regular products lane is always jampacked. .

I found myself alone in the organic section.

The annex bakeshop amused me thu' in my recent visit. Freshly baked healthy breads were selling like hotcakes. I especially liked their whole wheat pandesal. Unlike those I buy from the pugon bakery here in Manila, Good Shepherd's were surprisingly tasty and not weight-y. Just right!



The gals enjoyed Good Shepherd's original version of siopao which was kindah' uncanny. The meat fiilings were shelled in a pandesal- like bread. I took a bite and my my it was so good!!!



These mothers only want the best for their families and don't really mind the long travel to Baguio for the best ube jam on the Noche Buena table!!

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!!!

Bahay Pastulan, Tagaytay

When you are in Tagaytay, don't forget to get your take home goodies from Bahay Pastulan. This is the Good Shepperd in Tagaytay. Like its Baguio counterpart you can buy the famous Ube jams here. How convenient! No need to travel 8 hours to savor the the yummy ube jam of the Good Shepperd nuns.

There are slight distinctions thu'. Here in Tagaytay the jam is not in the bottle jar but in plastic container which personally I like because it's much easier to spoon the jam from the  wider  mouth of the canister. The buyers' queue here is much shorter than Baguio.

But the thing is I can't find any distinction in taste. They are both the best ube jam makers in the Philippines. Or are they one?

Aside from the ube jam, other Baguio products are available here_strawberry jam, lengua, peanut brittle and the others. One thing that I think is endemic here is the buco pie. It's my daughter's favorite and wouldn't leave the place without a box of buco pie. She wouldn't consume it thu' not until the following day at home after one day refrigeration. She likes it cold and old.

We saw in the front side of the building that they were also selling "halo-halo". There were customers enjoying the halo-halo right in front of the canteen eating standing. We never got to try it yet, but I'm sure it's delicious as I suppose they are using their own sweets products like ube and macapuno.