Here at NoBox our main goal is to create products that inspire us to live life outside the box. Our team is full of people who believe life is more than just the 9 to 5 daily grind, and we continue to explore different ways to #LiveNoBox.

Meet Mindy. Mindy is our marketing and branding director. She has been spending the summer watching the Apricot tree in her backyard bloom and mature. She saw a challenge and decided to go for it, here’s how she used the NoBox pocket knife to slice through her comfort zone and live outside the box!

 

 

Jam Outside The Box

Q: Why are we blogging about making apricot jam?

I inherited an apricot tree with the purchase of my first home. I was really excited to have a single fruit tree to take care of. Little did I know, this Dr. Suess looking tree would bear so much fruit.

As part of the NoBox marketing team, I’m constantly thinking about branding. Content. Messaging. It’s scary to put ideas out there and not know whether they are going to fail or succeed.

As I was tending to this pregnant, overborn tree, I was thinking about what story are we trying to share with our brand? We want authenticity and attainability. We want people to connect with us because they can see themselves in the message we are sharing.

In my line of work and personal life, nothing has connected and resonated with more than humans. Humans connect to humans. Usually the things that inspire, uplift and move me are seeing other humans being vulnerable — being themselves.

So, I volunteered myself as a guinea pig to capture a little piece of who I am and what I love to do — try new things.

Q: How did you prep for the shoot?

I love approaching food as a science and I was exposed to this during my time as an employee at ThermoWorks. I learned about all these cool chefs and cooks. J. Kenji López-Alt is an MIT graduate who used his knowledge of engineering and mathematics and applied it to the culinary world. Not only applied it but pursued a new career in it. He contributes to Serious Eats and I felt like that’d be a good starting point.

Luckily their “Rustic Apricot Jam Recipe” fit the bill. I was hoping I could use simple ingredients and method. How hard can it be when your ingredient list is: Apricots Sugar Lemon Juice

Q: So, how hard was it making the jam?

Following the first part was easy. Measure out exactly to the ounces..set timers. Then, there were things I didn’t anticipate. LIke knowing if your apricots have fully macerated (learned a new word. It means to become soft). Or, letting things cook until they look glossy? Its fruit and sugar! It looked glossy the whole time!

At some point I realized it wasn’t really doing what it was supposed to do.

Q: How did you feel when you realized the jam might not turn out?

I was okay with it because that was the point of making the jam in the first place. It wasn’t about whether I was going to succeed. It was sharing a genuine moment where I’d either be fist pumping if I nailed it the first try, or I’d be shrugging my shoulders and learn from the failure.

The hardest part was realizing I was the subject of many videos, stories and social media posts I’ve connected with. Would my team even like what we produced? Was this whole idea capturing the message of what we’re trying to develop? Are we going to use this? (I told multiple people on our team that we don’t have to, if it didn’t feel right.)

Q: How did your jam turnout and what did you learn? Would you make it again?

I think I nailed the taste. It was the right amount of sweet and tart. It didn’t pass the freezer spoon test and was quite runny. I’ve been eating it on my bread for several days in a row now.

I think I’ll wait until next year to attempt apricot jam. It was fun to try and I’ll probably ask a seasoned jam making veteran, like my mother, to give me tips. Trying things on my own is fun but I’m not afraid to ask for guidance, either.

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Finding ways to live outside the box isn’t always taking the easy route, sometimes it forces us to do things that we’re uncomfortable with. The results aren’t always exactly what we expect them to be, but in learning is where we find the most growth. We challenge you to find a way to live outside the box this week, and use the hashtag #livenobox on all of your adventures!