They say nothing beats a Georgia Peach! I agree! In fact, I’m considered a Georgia Peach myself, having been born and raised in Atlanta, but that’s another story altogether. For this post, I’m referring to the fruit.
Over the past couple of months, I’ve made several trips to my favorite farm to get peaches. Jaemor Farms is located in the Georgia Mountains, about an hour and a half from me, and it’s one of my favorite places to go for peaches, apples and pumpkins. These are Georgia peaches at their finest! I tried three different types of peaches this season and I liked each one.
The peaches ripened so quickly, we couldn’t eat them fast enough. So, I made jam, Peach Cobbler and more jam. I also cut up and froze some for later use. Then, I went back and got more peaches and made something different with them. I’ll be posting about that for the tigress can jam.
I sent a jar of this Peach Lavender Jam to my Jam Exchange Partner for Steph Chows’ 2nd Annual Jam Exchange. I wanted to send a special jam and this one fit the bill. I also sent some Cherry Preserves and Cantaloupe Preserves.
Peach Lavender Jam
Makes: 6 cups
Recipe from The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving by Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard.
I think you’ll like this jam. It is very fragrant and tasty as well. I was a little concerned that the lavender would overpower the flavor of the peaches, but it actually enhances it. The aroma was heavenly while this jam was cooking. In fact, I made the recipe twice and wanted to make more because it smells and tastes so good, but then my practical side decided that 13 half-pints was plenty.
Ingredients:
2 tbsp dried lavender flowers
1/2 cup boiling water
4 cups finely chopped peaches (about 5-6 medium peaches)
2 tbsp lemon juice
6 cups granulated sugar
1 pouch liquid fruit pectin
Directions:
Place lavender flowers in a small bowl. Pour boiling water over flowers and steep for 20 minutes.
Strain and discard flowers.
Combine lavender liquid, peaches, lemon juice and sugar in a very large stainless steel or enamel saucepan.
Bring to a full boil over high heat and boil hard for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and stir in pectin.
Ladle into hot jars and process for 10 minutes. If you live in a higher altitude or need more detailed instructions on water-bath canning, please refer to the instructions at the National Center for Home Preservation.
Turn off the heat, remove canner lid, and let jars rest in the water for 5 minutes. Remove jars and set aside for 24 hours. Check seals, then store in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year – that is, if it lasts that long.
Happy Canning and Baking!
Cathy
Here are some of the references I use in my canning adventures. You might enjoy them as well:
- Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
- The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving
- Keeping The Harvest: Discover the Homegrown Goodness of Putting Up Your Own Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs
- National Center for Home Preservation
Leave a Reply