Char Barrie has been selling jelly at Arts in the Park for 20 years. Here's how she started

Twenty-six years ago, a woman approached Char Barrie looking for something to get as a gift for her grandparents and great-grandparents. The woman gave Barrie baby food jars and asked her to fill them with homemade jellies.

Until then, Barrie had only been making jellies and jams for family members.

Soon after, Barrie participated in her first craft fair. She was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary and sold her jams and jellies at the organization's vendor table. Shortly thereafter, she was off to the Doland Craft Fair.

"I had people wanting jellies, and it all started from there," Barrie said.

More than two decades later, she's still at it.

Barrie will be one of hundreds of vendors this weekend at Arts in the Park at Melgaard Park. She's been at the annual arts festival every year since abound 2001, she said.

Char's Kitchen, Barrie's business, is certified by the National Restaurant Association. She sells homemade jams, jellies, syrups, salsas and pickles.

Barrie has always enjoyed cooking and baking. She used to also take baked goods to craft fairs, but no longer has the time. She said she often spends 10 to 12 hours a day getting prepared leading up to the events.

Before starting Char's Kitchen, Barrie worked several different jobs, including being an office administrator. But her current job is what she enjoys the most, with her favorite part being the jelly-making process.

Fruits for jellies grown on Barrie farm

Barrie is based in Turton. In 1999, she added what she calls a "jelly house" to her farm. There, she makes all of her jelly products. Most of the ingredients in her products, including the fruits, are grown on her farm.

After the fruit is picked and washed, Barrie said the next step is cooking it. Jelly is then made with just fruit juice, while jam is made with the whole fruit, Barrie said. Some flavors of Char's Kitchen's jellies and jams include rhubarb, cherry, jalapeño and elderberry.

Recipe for watermelon pickles goes back a century

Barrie also makes watermelon pickles from a 100-year-old family recipe passed down from her grandmother. To make those, she said, the watermelon rind, or the white part of the watermelon, is removed and pickled with cinnamon and cloves.

Barrie said she does about 13 craft fairs per year, including Winterfest in Aberdeen. One of her favorite parts about attending the events is being able to see the same customers and vendors year after year. Arts in the Park will be her first craft fair this year.

"It gets to be old home week," she said.

Arts in the Park goes from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. The temperature is expected to be about 100 both days.

This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: Arts in the Park Saturday and Sunday will feature hundreds of vendors