Peach Jam

Transform yellow peaches into a luscious golden summery preserve. This simple recipe produces an intense flavoured jam that will become a household favourite. It’s a perfect partner spread on toast, English muffins, crumpets, croissant, or your favourite breakfast bakery obsession. Its natural affinity with dairy products teams perfectly as a toping on or side garnish to cheesecakes, curd and custard-based tarts and pavlova or spooned generously over tangy yoghurt or ice-cream. Spread it around and discover its versatility, share with family and friends, but make sure you keep enough for yourself to last until next season.

Peaches complex fruity flavour and seductive downy crimson skin will weave its legendary magic and leave you hankering for more. The blossom, naturally sweet, is edible and adds colour to both sweet and savoury dishes. Pluck the petals from the base of the flower and remove the stamens. Dohwa-cha is a traditional Korean tea made from peach flowers.

Preparation Time:: 30 minutes

Cooking Time:: 20 minutes

Quantity:: 7 x 200ml jars

INGREDIENTS

1 kg: Yellow peaches, ripe and firm

900g: Sugar, white

200 ml: Water

150 ml: Lemon, juice and rind

METHOD

Carefully peel the peaches using either a sharp vegetable peeler, small paring knife or drop into boiling water briefly to soften the skin.
Cut peaches in half and remove the stone and any damaged or bruised areas. Dice the fruit into small to medium chunks of fruit. Refer to the Notes section below on fruit size.
Place the water and peaches into a pan and with the lid on cook gently until the fruit is soft. Add the sugar and lemon juice and rind. Stir over medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved.
Increase the heat and bring the mixture quickly to the boil and cook for approximately 10-15 minutes or until the jam is thick and reaches the setting point. Using a metal spoon remove any scum occasionally.
Remove the jam from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Using a funnel, pour into warm dry sterilised screw cap sealable bottles and fill to approximately 2.5cm (1 inch) from the top of the bottle. Seal using your preferred method.
Label and store in a cool dark place in the kitchen or pantry.
Allow the jam to mature for at least 2 weeks before eating.

NOTES

Use yellow peaches - freestone or clingstone. White peaches are best enjoyed fresh and their delicate flavour and creamy-white flesh do not make the best jam. I prefer to use yellow freestone peaches as they are easier to prepare, but clingstones, while a little more work to remove the flesh from the stone, still makes a delicious jam.
Choose ripe clean fruit. Do not use overripe and never use mouldy fruit as this will produce a poor quality jam.
Peaches are low in acid and pectin. The addition of lemon juice will facilitate the setting of the jam.
The final texture of the jam will depend upon the size of the chopped fruit pieces. If the pieces are too small, during the cooking process the fruit will break up and create more of a puree texture. Larger pieces will produce a jam with lovely apricot pieces surrounded by a luscious syrupy mixture.
Some recipes call for pre-warmed sugar as it dissolves more quickly and does not cool down the cooked fruit mixture which allows the jam to cook more quickly. To warm sugar, place in an oven proof mixing bowl or enamel tray until its warm. Do not overheat as the sugar crystals will bake and form a crust or lump.
Regardless of the temperature, once it’s been added, make sure it’s completely dissolved before boiling otherwise the fruit will toughen and the sugar may crystallise.
Once the sugar has dissolved and the fruit is soft, boil rapidly until the jam reaches its setting point.
Stir occasionally to prevent the jam from sticking on the bottom of the pot. But not too often as this will lower the temperature and delays reaching the setting point.
Rapid boiling until the setting point is reached helps to preserve the fresh fruit flavour. Long slow simmering affects the colour and reduces the flavour of the jam.
Leave the jam to cool slightly, approximately 10-15 minutes depending on the batch size. This will stop the pieces of fruit rising in the jam.

Peach Jam

Preparation Time:: 30 minutes

Cooking Time:: 20 minutes

Quantity:: 7 x 200ml jars

INGREDIENTS:

Yellow peaches, ripe and firm: 1 kg

Sugar, white: 900g

Water: 200 ml

Lemon, juice and rind: 150 ml

METHOD:

Carefully peel the peaches using either a sharp vegetable peeler, small paring knife or drop into boiling water briefly to soften the skin.
Cut peaches in half and remove the stone and any damaged or bruised areas. Dice the fruit into small to medium chunks of fruit. Refer to the Notes section below on fruit size.
Place the water and peaches into a pan and with the lid on cook gently until the fruit is soft. Add the sugar and lemon juice and rind. Stir over medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved.
Increase the heat and bring the mixture quickly to the boil and cook for approximately 10-15 minutes or until the jam is thick and reaches the setting point. Using a metal spoon remove any scum occasionally.
Remove the jam from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Using a funnel, pour into warm dry sterilised screw cap sealable bottles and fill to approximately 2.5cm (1 inch) from the top of the bottle. Seal using your preferred method.
Label and store in a cool dark place in the kitchen or pantry.
Allow the jam to mature for at least 2 weeks before eating.

NOTES:

Use yellow peaches - freestone or clingstone. White peaches are best enjoyed fresh and their delicate flavour and creamy-white flesh do not make the best jam. I prefer to use yellow freestone peaches as they are easier to prepare, but clingstones, while a little more work to remove the flesh from the stone, still makes a delicious jam.
Choose ripe clean fruit. Do not use overripe and never use mouldy fruit as this will produce a poor quality jam.
Peaches are low in acid and pectin. The addition of lemon juice will facilitate the setting of the jam.
The final texture of the jam will depend upon the size of the chopped fruit pieces. If the pieces are too small, during the cooking process the fruit will break up and create more of a puree texture. Larger pieces will produce a jam with lovely apricot pieces surrounded by a luscious syrupy mixture.
Some recipes call for pre-warmed sugar as it dissolves more quickly and does not cool down the cooked fruit mixture which allows the jam to cook more quickly. To warm sugar, place in an oven proof mixing bowl or enamel tray until its warm. Do not overheat as the sugar crystals will bake and form a crust or lump.
Regardless of the temperature, once it’s been added, make sure it’s completely dissolved before boiling otherwise the fruit will toughen and the sugar may crystallise.
Once the sugar has dissolved and the fruit is soft, boil rapidly until the jam reaches its setting point.
Stir occasionally to prevent the jam from sticking on the bottom of the pot. But not too often as this will lower the temperature and delays reaching the setting point.
Rapid boiling until the setting point is reached helps to preserve the fresh fruit flavour. Long slow simmering affects the colour and reduces the flavour of the jam.
Leave the jam to cool slightly, approximately 10-15 minutes depending on the batch size. This will stop the pieces of fruit rising in the jam.