Roadtrips & Peach Pits
The intense red glow of the sun peaking from it’s hiding place behind the mountains slowly permeates the inky night sky and wraps me in warmth. The silence is comforting. I slow to a stop as a family of deer crosses in front of my car, glancing at me, acknowledging me but in no way concerned that I will interrupt their morning commute…I love road trips, especially summer road trips and this might be the last chance for one before the leaves start to change and the days grow shorter and colder. With an unexpected long weekend I decide to jump in the car and make the 8 hour drive to Nelson to visit friends and while I am looking forward to reaching my destination I am just as excited about the voyage.
Early September is my favourite time of year to do this drive for one reason– fruit stands. The road through Keremeos is lined with hand painted signs claiming their stand has the best deals & freshest produce for sale. I can’t resist the 20 lbs of peaches so ripe and juicy they have to be gently placed side by side in the box, layers of paper protecting their delicate flesh from bruising and splitting on the ride home.
The intoxicating smell reminds me of sunshine and fills my head with thoughts of all the delicious things I will do with these peaches once I get home. Recipes people… we’re talking about recipes here. Kind of like this super simple peach jam recipe. With just a touch of honey this ‘jam’ is not just for spreading on thick slices of rye bread fresh from the oven (although that IS amazing!) it also makes a great compote to serve warm over french vanilla ice cream.
Honey Sweetened Peach Jam
As a general rule I prefer my jams less sweet so it’s all about the fruit! I use Pomona’s Universal Pectin which is designed for making low/no sugar jams.
4 cups mashed peaches
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4-1/2 cup honey
3 tsp pectin powder
4 tsp calcium water (part of the Pomona package)
5-250 ml mason jars with lids
1.Make calcium water. Put 1/2 tsp calcium powder and 1/2 cup water in a small clear jar with a lid. Shake to mix.
2.Wash and rinse jars; let stand in hot water. Bring lids and rings to a boil; turn down heat; let stand in hot water.
3. Wash, peel & pit peaches. Mash fruit. Measure 4 cups of mashed fruit into heavy bottomed saucepan.
4. Add calcium water and lemon juice to the mashed fruit; stir well.
5. Measure honey into separate bowl. Thoroughly mix pectin powder into honey.
6. Bring fruit to a boil. Add pectin-sugar-honey; stir vigorously 1-2 mins while cooking to dissolve pectin. Return to boil and remove from heat.
6. Fill jars to 1/4″ of top. Wipe rims clean. Put filled jars in boiling water to cover. Boil 10 mins. Remove from water. Let jars cool. Check seals–lids should be sucked down.
For a delicious golden plum jam recipe check out my ‘A plum of a jam session’ blog post.
