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This fabulous PEACH-GINGER JAM is truly a lesson on everything good about making jam. The selection of peaches, the two add-ins that brighten the flavour, a secret flavour booster and a never-fail jam-making process - this recipe has it all!
Here’s the deal on how to make PEACH-GINGER JAM:
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PEACHES
The ripening of fresh fruit and veggies in cottage country usually lags about two weeks behind the warmer, southern locales. Thankfully, a friend in the city called about a month ago mentioning how stellar stone fruit was this year. I instantly knew to call my local farmstead and place my peach order early. One flat of Red Haven peaches please!
I specifically wanted to use Red Haven peaches for this recipe - it's the variety often referred to as the “blue ribbon of peaches”. This wonderful, all-purpose peach is held in high regard for its sweetness and creamy-textured flesh. For best results, prepare this recipe when the peaches are fully ripened. They should feel slightly soft to the touch and also be very fragrant. I actually collected my peaches from my local farmer and then waited five days for them to fully ripen.
FRESH GINGER
The first meeting of peaches and fresh ginger in a Weekend at the Cottage recipe happened in this CLASSIC PEACH PIE, and we could not have been more satisfied with the results. When used in a jam recipe, ginger imparts the tiniest bit of heat but adds a heady fragrance and warm flavour. This is a really stellar combination in pies and now jams too!
LEMON
Adding citrus to this recipe cuts the sweetness slightly while also brightening the flavours of both the peaches and the ginger. Although you could use lime in the recipe, we found lemon more pleasing.
HE SCORES!
One of the fiddly but key steps in this recipe is to score the peaches, blanch them in simmering water, then plunge them into cold water. This process helps make the peeling of the peaches way easier. It was during this process that I had the following “ah-ha” moment!
While removing the skins from the peaches, a thought crossed my mind: “Hmmm, seems like a shame, I bet there’s some serious flavour in them there skins?!”
My solution is to take all of the peach skins, bring them to a boil with a cup of water, simmer for 15 minutes, then strain the liquid from the boiled skins.
The result is akin to a flavour booster of peach nectar. Adding it to the peaches moments before we begin cooking the jam is this recipe’s moment of greatness. The addition of this liquid helps give the jam way more peachy flavour, along with a distinctive rich, deep amber colour.
WEIGHING IN
There’s a new school of thought amongst jam makers when it comes to the ratio of fruit to sugar; many are moving away from the 1:1 ratio. If that’s still your jam and you feel like sticking with it, you can adjust this recipe to your liking. For the rest of you, try this new approach.
This PEACH-GINGER JAM was made with 200 g sugar : 300 g peaches. Those of you wishing even less sugar can use a 150 g sugar : 300 g peaches mix with great results, albeit a jam that is less sweet. This adjusted sugar-to-fruit ratio does take longer to cook, as we also didn’t use pectin. Our end goal remained centred on maximizing the flavour of the peaches.
As a point of reference, this recipe uses about 36 peaches. Don’t forget to adjust the weight of the ginger, lemon juice and other ingredients if you halve the recipe.
ALL SET
In other recipes, we’ve tested jam using a frozen plate method. This involves dropping a spoon of jam on a frozen plate and then running a finger through it. If the jam wrinkles, it’s done. If you tilt the plate and it runs, it needs to be cooked longer.
For this recipe we used the temperature method. This involves testing doneness with a candy thermometer. The temperature slowly rises as the jam simmers, and once it reaches 220°F you know the jam is done and will set. We followed this method and it worked perfectly, no guessing involved.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Please follow my lead and try this superior-flavoured and richly coloured jar on a buttered bread of your choice. Just to be sure, I tried it on SOURDOUGH, CORNMEAL MUFFINS and tea biscuits fresh out of the oven. I’m happy to report, it really is one of the finest peach jams I’ve ever made or even tasted! I know you’ll share these same sentiments.
PEACH-GINGER JAM is worthy of your attention!
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