Summer in Australia is a stone fruit lover’s dream. Markets abound with peaches, plums, apricots and mangoes, sold in trays of luscious golden, sun-kissed goodness. We are big fruit eaters in this house and there is always plenty to eat and blend or bake. When we found ourselves drowning in a huge tray of over 45 beautiful peaches, I decided it was time to jam, quite literally.

This was the first jam I ever made and also the first ‘Weekend Project’ for the site. It was a great experience and the jam which was a result of several modified recipes, turned out quite nice; almost like a chutney with a spicy undertone. It wasn’t very difficult reaching the dreaded ‘gel point’ either. I haven’t made any jam since but I have been toying with the idea of doing a blood orange and hazelnut liquer jam. Meanwhile I hope you enjoy this recipe.

Peach And Lemon Jam
Preparation Time:  60 mins
Standing Time: 60 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins
     

Ingredients
 5 lbs firm, ricpe peaches
 3 cups sugar
 1/2 cup lemon juice
 2 tsp cinnamon
 1/ tsp nutmeg

Method
Peel and pit the peaches. Chop into small pices. Combine with sugar, lemon juice and spices in a deep saucepan. Cover and stand for an hour. On low heat, cook the peach mixture, stirring constantly for approximately 25-30 minutes till it reaches gel point. Remove from heat. Blend to desired consistency using a stick blender. Return to heat and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Pour into sterilized jars leaving 1/2 inch head space from the top. Cover with lids and treat in a hot water bath.

My Notes

• You can adjust the amount of sugar depending on your taste, but the less the sugar is used, the more it enhances the flavour of the peach.
• For this particular recipe, it takes approximately 30 minutes to reach the gel point. [cooking on low heat