I’m not sure how my dad ended up buying 70 euro worth of peaches the other day…but he did. When he triumphantly opened the trunk of his car showing us (with much pride) the purchase he made, my mom and I didn’t exactly react the way he was expecting we would.
How the heck are we gonna eat all those peaches before they go bad??
It turned out the gazillion of baskets he brought home didn’t only contain peaches, but they were also hiding a bunch of nectarines and plums. There was no way we could eat them all. So we kept some to eat, we gave some away and with the remainder I made a LOT of jam (3 kinds of jams, to be exact). Because of the unfortunate timing (these days the weather here in Italy is incredibly hot … and, no, I don’t have AC in the kitchen) and the colossal amount of fruit, making jam turned out to be a real enterprise. I’m sure it won’t be the case for you, if you decide to do it! It’s fun, rewarding, and not difficult at all…It only takes 3 ingredients, 2 or 3 hours of your time, and some stirring.
We typically eat jam for breakfast – with bread and butter – but it can be used as filling for lots of desserts (cookies, crepes, crostatas, galettes…you name it). You can even use it to glaze meat or simply pair it with cheese. I like to buy plain yogurt and add a a dollop of jam in it (I prefer it over any other “naturally” flavored commercial versions).
Bottom line: be creative with it. Jam is pretty versatile. And pretty darn delicious.
When life gives you (tons of) peaches… make jam!
- 3 kg (6.6 lb) peaches, washed well
- 1.2 kg (2.6 lb) sugar
- 1½ lemons
- Cut peaches in slices and discard pits.
- Place cut peaches in a big pot over medium heat. After a couple of minutes, add sugar and lemon. Stir occasionally and bring to a full boil.
- Cook peaches until very soft, stirring often to prevent scorching. Once peaches have become quite mushy (this will require a couple of hours), blend them using a handheld blender (this will make make the mixture denser). The jam is done when it falls heavily from the spoon. If not done, continue cooking and try again.
- Transfer hot jam into hot sterilized jars (*see notes) using a clean jam funnel. Fill hot jars, leaving ½ inch headspace. Screw sterilized lids on to seal jars. Turn jars upside down and let them reach room temperature.
-I sterilized the empty jars by placing them in the oven at 265F for about 15 minutes. I also boiled the lids for a few minutes. Please check safety standards and canning guidelines here: http://nchfp.uga.edu//publications/publications_usda.html
