I spent all of last weekend in the kitchen doing some canning and a little baking. I only began learning the canning process last year and while it can be time consuming, I was surprised at how relatively easy it is to preserve summer's fruits and vegetables to enjoy all year long. I canned Peach Jam with Rum from a recipe contained in Fancy Pantry by Helen Witty (1986). This book appears to currently be out of print but you can still find copies available to purchase online. I first learned of this book from reading Sarah Ban Breathnach's Simple Abundance which I loved and return to often. Fancy Pantry is full of simple gourmet chutneys, sauces, jams and more designed to offer a little luxury to your meal or afternoon snack.
Here is the recipe for Peach or Nectarine Jam with Brown Sugar & Rum from Fancy Pantry:
6 cups coarsely chopped peeled firm-ripe peaches or nectarines (about 4 pounds)
2 cups (packed) light brown sugar
6 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup dark rum, preferably Jamaican
2 cups granulated sugar
1. Combine the peaches with the brown sugar and lemon juice and about half of the rum in a large bowl and stir the mixture well. Cover it and let it sit overnight.
2. Pour the peach mixture into a preserving pan. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover the pan, reduce the heat, and cook the mixture until the peach chunks are beginning to be translucent., 15 to 20 minutes; stir it several times. If the jam becomes too thick before the fruit clarifies, add 2 or 3 tablespoons of water. Add the granulated sugar and cook the jam rapidly, stirring almost constantly, until a spoonful placed on a chilled saucer and refrigerated for a few moments wrinkles instead of running when the saucer is tilted sharply. (Remove the pot from the heat while testing.) Stir in the remaining rum and cook the jam for 2 minutes, stirring.
3. Ladle the boiling-hot jam into hot, clean pint or half-pint canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Seal the jars with clean two-part canning lids according to manufacturer's directions and process for 15 minutes (for either size jar) in a boiling-water bath. Cool, label, and store the jars. Jam is ready to use immediately.
Happy Reading!
Rebecca
This post is linked up to Weekend Cooking, a weekly meme hosted by Beth at Beth Fish Reads.
