Husband and wife Larry and Margaret Hardy spend their days making preserves with love and care from their home in Necum Teuch, N.S.
“I normally work 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Larry will work ‘til about 8 p.m. every night, sometimes later,” said Margaret.
“It’s a lot of work, it’s hard, it’s our brand, it’s about making everything taste like grandma, her recipe, her taste.”
Along with many other items, HardyWares Preserves makes delicious marmalade -- one that began with a 50-year-old recipe from Margaret’s mother.
“So the recipe’s really cute. It says you need lemons, sugar and a really big pot, so we took that and we made the English marmalade,” she explained.
From there, the duo created blueberry, whisky and even a marmalade with beer.
“I was reading an article in a Scottish newspaper. They talked about beer marmalade, and I thought, ‘That’s the last one, we’ve gotta do it, and I know exactly where we’re going to get the beer.’”
The owner of Sober Island Brewing in Sheet Harbour, N.S., said she was eager to be involved.
Rebecca Atkinson knew her Beachstone Bitter would be the perfect addition.
“It’s a classic English style, really malty, toffee notes, kind of a copper colour -- not bitter as people would actually expect it to be. It’s just really nice and smooth.”
Confident in her products, Margaret entered them in The World’s Original Marmalade Awards in England.
HardyWares Preserves was awarded bronze for its Whisky Marmalade and silver for its Beer Marmalade. The Maritime Blueberry and English marmalades received commendable mentions.
“They’ve won an amazing world-wide award and it’s like, holy cow, what can come out of collaboration and when small businesses work together,” said Atkinson.
While the Hardys grew up on farms in Nova Scotia, they left and spent 25 years living and working in cities. However, they both yearned to return to rural Nova Scotia, and eventually left their careers in the big city for small-town business life on the Eastern Shore. Margaret says it was the best decision they’ve ever made.
“Living here, the stars are brighter, the air is fresher.”
