I wait all year for this season. For the peaches.
Everyone has their favorite fruit—those who can choose just one. I find it hard to get my list down below three, but one of them is definitely peaches. The name alone makes me happy: peaches.
[Would you believe a good friend of mine had a yoga teacher named Peaches? It’s true.]
The sad thing is that peaches, the good ones at the peak of ripeness, are around for such a short period of time. If summer feels fleeting, the peach season is even more so. Peaches don’t even last that long after you buy them. If you get the good ones, that is. I suppose those sad, hard peaches in the supermarket might stick around a bit, but they’re not really worth much. Not to me, anyway.
I am a peach snob. I want them soft and sweet, at the height of ripeness. I want the peaches you have to eat over the kitchen sink because the juice runs down your arm and into the crook of your elbow and you have to wipe off the sticky sweet afterwards.
I want peach perfection. And I am willing to go without the rest of the year. This is the price I pay.
I have a secret weapon, however—a crutch I use to help me get through the peach-less season. Every year, when the peaches are at the peak of perfection, I make jam.
This weekend I holed myself up in the kitchen, with a friend and a twenty-pound box of peaches from Billy’s Gardens. It didn’t matter that it was 95° and sweltering and the last place we wanted to be was hovering over a vat of molten peach and sugar. When the peaches are ready, jam must be made. They don’t wait for anyone else’s schedule.
I won’t lie, it was beastly hot and we would have rather been swimming in the lake. But the payoff is jars of peach jam—for eating and giving away. It’s not the same as those gorgeous fresh peaches of summer, but it’s the next best thing. When I crack open one of those jars in the midst of a cold and dark winter’s day, I will remember summer, I will remember sunshine, I will remember what it feels like to be warm. It will be a promise to myself, that peach season will come again.
I will be waiting for it.
I will be waiting for it.
PEACH JAM
Many people are scared of making jam, and I wish they weren’t. If you choose to can your jam, this may be a little intimidating, but you can freeze jam instead. This time of year, when the fruit is plentiful, ripe, and inexpensive, consider making a batch of jam. It does take some time, but you might be surprised by how satisfying it can be.
This jam recipe is really more of a ratio. You want half as much sugar as fruit and a bit of lemon juice. Thus:
2 pounds of ripe peaches (some slight bruising is okay, cut out any dark brown bits)
1 pound sugar
juice of one lemon
As with most jam recipes, they shouldn’t be doubled. Smaller batches cook better.
Pit the peaches and chop coarsely. I like my jam chunky, so I leave some of the pieces on the larger side (see photo below). I also experimented this year with leaving the peels on, which was recommended to me by my friend and food mentor Jon Rowley. I highly recommend you do this as well—you can’t tell the difference in the end and peeling peaches is a huge pain.
In a large pot, toss the peaches with the sugar and lemon juice and let sit two hours (I often let this sit overnight in the fridge).
Simmer the mixture on low heat for several hours (can take up to four hours, depending on size of the batch), stirring frequently. This is where it’s helpful to have a friend around. Especially towards the end, stir often. The high sugar content in jam means that it will burn easily. Make sure it is not sticking to the bottom of the pot.
The mixture will begin to foam a bit. Using a mesh skimmer or spoon, remove the foam off the top. You can eat the foam (it’s quite good stirred into yogurt), but leaving it in will make your jam cloudy.
As the fruit mixture begins to look more jam-like, test a bit by spooning it on a saucer and putting it in the fridge or freezer to cool off. If you can push your finger through easily, you’re not done yet. When finished, jam will resist and rumple a bit, more jellied than sauce. That’s what you want to see.
Remove from heat and either can in sterilized jars, according to standard safe canning practices, or put in the fridge or freezer for prompt consumption.
Makes roughly 4-6 8 oz jars.
Makes roughly 4-6 8 oz jars.
This post is part of Summer Fest, a cross blog celebration of summer’s bounty and what we do with it. This week the theme is stone fruit. Check out all the participants and their contributions below.
- Marilyn at Simmer Till Done: Cherry Apricot Pie with Ginger-Almond Crunch.
- Sara at Cooking Channel: Savory Stone Fruit recipes.
- Todd and Diane of White on Rice Couple: Riesling Poached Pluots.
- Caroline at The Wright Recipes: Ginger and Vanilla Poached Peaches.
- The FN Dish: Paula’s Perfect Peach Cobbler.
- Alison at Food2: Peachy Party Foods.
- Kelly at Just a Taste: Peaches & Cream Cupcakes.
- Liz on Healthy Eats: Puttin’ Up Peach Pickles, Compote and More.
- Food Network UK: How to Poach a Peach.
- Judy of Divina Cucina: Chocolate Amaretti Baked Apricots.
- The Gilded Fork: dossier & recipes featuring peaches, apricots, nectarines, plums, cherries, almonds, coconuts.
- Cate at Sweetnicks: Blueberry Peach Smoothies.
- Margaret at A Way to Garden: Stone Fruit and Clafoutis batter
- Alana at Eating From the Ground Up: Stone fruit slump.
- Caron of San Diego Foodstuff: grilled peach parfait and coconut peach gazpacho.
- Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef: gluten-free peach-blueberry buckle
- Paige at The Sister Project: A Summer Fruit Whatchamacallit
- Tigress in a Jam: nectarine preserve with summer savory and white pepper.
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Wow this looks amazing! I've always been a little too intimidated to make my own jam, but this one looks too good to resist. Good thing I just got a whole bag of peaches the other day! I now know what I'm going to do with them.
Hope you enjoy my Summer Fest contribution
http://achanceofsprinkles.blogspot.com/2010/08/sweet-n-spicy-peach-cantaloupe-salsa.html
Mmmm…looks yummy and will be even more delicious in the dead of winter. Approximately how many jars should I have on hand for a batch of this, assuming 2 lbs of peaches?
Tea, do you have any luck with the pectins for low-sugar jam? My sweet tooth doesn't take hold until at least 10am so breakfast jams are often too sweet for my taste.
Beautiful photos of beautiful fruit and jam. Hurray for summer – the fruit on my tree is almost ready!
Lyndsey–do it!
D–good question, I always make larger batches. For this I'd plan for 4-6 8oz jars, with a bit left over for the fridge.
Alanna–I don't generally use pectin in my jams. Last summer I experimented with cutting the sugar in my peach jam to 25%, but didn't like the results (flavor not as good, more like peach butter, browner in color). I know some people use Pomona's Pectin, which is made for low sugar jams, but I don't have much experience in that department, I'm afraid.
Zoomie–if you tell me you have peach trees I might just die of jealousy. But yes, I have been watching my apples, pears, and plums with mounting anticipation. Enjoy your fruit!
My first time joining the fun for Summer Fest! Took some liberties, though. My contribution is Key Lime Cheesecake Bars, that uses almonds, blueberries (are they in the same Rose Family as the other berries?) and limes (we only have citrus trees growing in our yard). These bars are unbelievably good!
http://www.wineimbiber.com/index.php/2010/08/celebrating-summer-fest/
Peaches really aren't around long enough, you're are so right. But when they good, they are so good, and definitely worth the wait.
I made a mint fruit salad, since I couldn't bear the heat of the kitchen, with nectarines, pluots and plums. It was very refreshing.
http://theavocadopit.blogspot.com/2010/08/cool-fruit-salad-la-emmaline.html
Peach jam is indeed the perfect antidote to a cold winter day!
My contribution to Summer Fest this week is Peach Crisp. Try it hot on a summer evening with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top . . .
http://www.dollopofcream.com/2010/08/summer-fest-peach-crisp.html
Only one peach tree – it was a wedding present from my work colleagues back in NY State. I thank them every summer.
I love peaches too! There's nothing better than a big, juicy, ripe peach! Heaven!
I wrote several comments sounding exactly like you. That's why I am smiling right now:) A perfect peach is worth waiting for. Nothing bland, tasteless, crunchy, or mealy need enter my kitchen. Of I had to eat only one peach a year, it would have to be THE perfect one. And yes, it is messy, it is sticky, it is not a dainty affair, but who cares? Not me!
I made some apricot jam a couple of weeks ago, and I am getting ready to make some peach jam too. No peeling necessary.
I do my jams in small quantities, because husband is highly allergic to all the fruits from the Rose family, and only my girls and I eat them. My mother's recipe is very similar to yours – I might just turn to your version:)
My contribution to this week's Summer Fest is Damson Plum Jam Spiced with Rum (or Cinnamon)
http://bibberche.com/2010/08/plumjam/
Greetings from Southern California!
Mmm, yummy! I've only made jam using pectin before, so this sounds interesting, especially now that we just bought canning supplies for the first time.
Also, I'm with you on picking the peaches that you have to eat over the sink because the juice runs down your arm. That's the only way!
Here's my contribution to Summer Fest for the week:
Grilled Peaches with Brown Sugar Over Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
I would love to make jam someday. I have fond memories of my Grandma's concord grape jelly and there was nothing to compare to that homemade taste.
My contribution to Summerfest this week is a Plum and Almond Buckle.
http://flavorsings.blogspot.com/2010/08/summer-fest-almond-plum-buckle.html
I use much less sugar in my jam (made the second batch last night) but add in the juice of a lemon. The color is brilliant — maybe it will fade? Usually I make berry jams. But the fruit is so sweet that wow, 1lb sugar would have been a lot.
Anne–last year I reduced it to 25% sugar and had very disappointing results—brown jam, more like peach butter than jam. This year I increased it back to 50%, as my original recipe suggested. It has better flavor and color (and I always use lots of lemon). Glad you had good results with low sugar, I didn't.
I just made this peach jam today with my 5 peaches – 2 lbs. I have two 8 oz jars and 1 4 oz jar my husband snarfled the tiny remainder as soon as he walked in the door. But it was a good way to get my feet wet with making a jam that needs a dip in a canning bath as I haven't done that since I was a kid with my mum (which means I've never done it). I'll be down at the fruit stand tomorrow to grab some more peaches and do this again – maybe a larger batch. I was swooning with the aroma as I was stirring – wanted to jump right into the pot it smelled so good. Thanks for the recipe!
It is always too hot in Florida for jam making so I made some other things for Summer Fest that are very cold! httpL//dejavucook.wordpress.com/2010/08/22/bellini/ and also http://dejavucook.wordpress.com/2010/08/peach-melba
Enjoy
I love homemade peach jam on a simple cake flavored with a bit of cardamom. Thanks for a great p0ost.
I just did my peach amaretto jam. Very delicious.
Amazing Jam….I couldn't find my old recipe and came across yours while researching different Jam recipes on the net. Beautiful pictures of the peaches…..I love summer and the wonderful fruits it brings. Thank you.
I had been looking for a peach jam recipe; we have been flooded with peaches around here, and there is so much one can eat! Thanks!
Oh my gosh, this looks delicious! And so beautiful!
http://www.prettygoodfood.com
I've recently launched my own blog, I'd love for you to check it out and let me know what you think
Thanks, and Happy Cooking!!!
Peach jam…. looks delicious! After reading your post I will definitely try it. Thanks for sharing!
I admire your peach devotion despite the sweltering heat. Lovely photos. I wish I could try your peach jam now… sounds delish.
Congratulations! So wonderful!
thank’s a lot for this great post