Peaches are in season and they are everywhere at the moment. I love their juicy sweetness as part of my barbecue or just simply as dessert at the end of a meal.
They are not going to last forever, though. I mean, Summer will come to an end eventually. Though it's kind of hard to believe right now, right? So, as a way to preserve a little bit of summer in jars, here's a little how to, to make them into jam.
This is for a small batch peach jam, enough for two jars. One for now, one for later. Or, if you are more generous, one for you, and one for a friend.
So, here we go. It's really easy. Just follow this 3-3-3 plan. Here are the things you need:
Three ingredients: Peaches, of course, about 6-8. Choose ones that are ripe enough to eat now but not overly ripe that they are mushy. White sugar, 1 and a half cup. Juice from half a lemon. There are no preservatives or gelatine in this recipe. No way.
Three tools: A medium sized pot. A wooden spatula. Two jam jars. Make sure the jars and their lids are sterilised by cleaning them in hot soapy water then drying them in the oven on a low temperature, about 120 degrees celsius. We want them kept quite hot until it's time to fill them up.
Three steps: Mix, heat, fill. Mix all the ingredients in the pot on medium heat. Make sure the peaches are peeled, de-stoned and cut into however big you want them. It's like the peanut butter question. Are you a crunchy or a smooth person? Do you prefer your jam smooth or with bits in it? When the sugar is all dissolved and the fruit is starting to sweat, turn the heat up, up, up. You want the peaches to boil. When it starts to bubble, turn the heat back down to medium high. Make sure you stir regularly, you don't want it to caramelise too much. You know when the jam is done when you're stirring with your wooden spoon, you can see the bottom of the pot because the jam is thick enough and doesn't fill up that path you've created straight away. This might take around twenty to thirty minutes. Finally, it's time to fill up your heated jars. Leave a little space at the top. A funnel might help, unless, if you are like my husband who tries to help and then cuts the small end of the funnel to be bigger than the lip of the jar, that's not really helping. Thanks anyway, hun. Wipe the rims and any spills, close the lids, then turn them upside down. As the jam cools, this creates a natural seal. You can eat it straight away or keep it on a cool dry shelf in the pantry for those colder months when you want to remember back to the summer memories.
Ta da! Now you can all go home tonight and make your very own peach jams. Or plum jams. Or cherry jams? Just remember the three ingredients, three tools and three steps plan to make any kind of fruit jams you want. Spread on a piece of hot toasted bread, accompanied by a cup of freshly brewed coffee, mmmmm, perfect breakfast.
