Anne James—affectionately known as Jelly Grandma—is a lifelong food preserver, professional canner, and master of old-fashioned Southern kitchen wisdom. With over 55 years of hands-on experience making jams, jellies, canned vegetables, and home-cooked meals, she’s a walking encyclopedia of the skills that kept generations self-reliant.
As the go-to canner in her family and community, Anne has turned her passion into a professional canning business and has even been featured in the Daily Commercial for her standout jelly at the Lady Lake Farmer’s Market.
📰 As seen in the Daily Commercial: “Jelly Grandma’s Homemade Jams Draw Crowds at the Market.”
Anne wants nothing more than to pass on her extensive knowledge to the next generations, whether that be family or anyone visiting her website, her YouTube channel, or survivalfreedom.com
🎓 Credentials at a Glance:
- Over 55 years experience in canning, food preservation & jelly making
- Former school librarian and paralegal with multiple degrees
- Owner/operator of a small-batch canning business
- Featured in local media for canning excellence
- Writer for SurvivalFreedom.com and PreservingSweetness.com
- Avid gardener, quilter, cook, and grandmother of four
👩🍳 What You’ll Learn from Anne:
- How to can safely using traditional methods
- What actually works for long-term food storage
- Step-by-step guides rooted in real-life practice
- Kitchen-tested recipes passed down through generations
- Honest, practical advice—not theory or guesswork
📚 Her Journey
Before becoming “Jelly Grandma,” Anne worked for decades as a legal secretary, paralegal, and school librarian. At age 42, she returned to school, earning her associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees while working full-time and studying alongside her sons.
But her roots were always in the garden and kitchen. Raised on stories of Depression-era self-sufficiency—digging potatoes, making syrup from sugar cane, and hanging meat in the smokehouse—Anne developed a lifelong respect for “the old ways.”
Today, she shares that wisdom to help others preserve food, cut waste, and build self-reliance.
🏡 Life Today
Anne now spends her time:
- Tending her vegetable garden
- Making jelly (in bulk!)
- Quilting and crafting
- Cooking for her family
- Loving on her two dogs, three cats, and four granddaughters
Lovingly dubbed “Jelly Grandma,” she hopes your visit to Preserving Sweetness has been a sweet one.
📩 Feel free to reach out: anne@survivalfreedom.com
Here is a photo of me taken by my local newspaper. I was featured in this article!
Thanks for stoppin’ by!
Anne James (Jelly Grandma)