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Wednesday, 30 July 2008 |
While fully soft, ripened fruit is best for eating out of hand, the complex starch known as pectin is gradually converted into simple sugars as the fruit ripens. So for preserves and jams, barely ripened fruit is best. The key is to get fruit that is already fully fragrant, but not yet completely soft. The preserves, if the are not fully set will still be wonderful spooned over ice cream or made into a Trifle.
(Makes six 8-ounce jars)
5 ripe, medium-sized, barely ripe peaches
1/2 cup lemon juice
4 cups sugar
1.) In a stockpot or a canning kettle, cover 5 clean, 8-ounce canning jars with boiling water. Simmer, covered over low heat to sterilize jars.
2.) Peel the peaches. In a large pot over high heat, bring a gallon of water to a full boil. Fill a large mixing bowl with ice water and set aside. Drop the peaches into the boiling water; after one minute, use a slotted spoon to lift them out and put them in the ice water. The skins will slip off. Peel the par-boiled peaches then cut each one into 8 wedges. Discard the pits.
3.) In a heavy, 4-quart soup pot or Dutch oven over high heat, mash the peach slices with the lemon juice. When the fruit has come to a full, rolling boil, stir in the sugar. Continue stirring until mixture returns to a boil, then still stirring intermittently to prevent the preserves from sticking, cook the preserves until the fruit is translucent and a spoonful stands upright on a chilled plate; a candy thermometer will register 220. As soon as the preserves are ready, take the pot off the heat.
4.) With tongs, lift the sterilized jars from their simmering water bath and arrange them right side up on a clean kitchen towel.
Ladle the preserves into the sterilized jars. Dip one corner of a clean lint-free towel into the boiling water and wipe the lips of the jars to remove any jam.
5.) Put on the lids and seal according to manufacturer's instructions then put the jam-filled jars back in the boiling water and boil for five minutes. Allow the jam to cool in the jars undisturbed for several hours or overnight.
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