Last of the summer fruit, so I thought I would make a final round of jam, this time Peach with Ginger. Turned out great, even though the peaches were still a little hard but the final result is great. It even set well (I think peaches have a fair bit of natural pectin and I used the low-sugar sort just to make sure).
Ingredients
1 package low sugar pectin
3 pounds peaches
5 cups sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 tablespoons ginger syrup*
2 tablespoons vodka, for drizzling
Directions
Sterilize your canning jars as you normally would.
Blanch the peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds, then submerse in an ice bath. Slip off the skins. They should come right off, but you can help them along with a sharp paring knife. Remove the pits and then hop the peaches into 1/4 inch dice. Mash the peaches with a potato masher, until they are your desired consistency. Or you can use a food mill on some of the peaches. I like my jam chunky, so I only used a food mill on half them.
Put the peaches, sugar, and lemon juice into a large non-reactive pot. Over medium-high heat and bring the peach mixture to a rolling boil, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Boil for 1 minute, then add the pectin. Bring the jam to a rolling boil once more, stirring constantly, and boil exactly 1 minute. Remove the jam from heat. Stir in the ginger syrup. Ladle the hot jam into jars and cool completely. Drizzle a little bit of vodka on each jar and swirl to cover the whole surface (this is a last barrier against bacteria). Screw the lids tight. If you are going to store for a long time, process as you would any jam in a hot bath.
* Sometimes you can find ginger syrup near the cocktail making ingredients in the store. If not, this is the one that I use, found on Amazon.
