Summer is coming to a close, thank everything that is sacred, and I have learned a poignant lesson: Peach season is over before farmer’s market vendors say it’s over.
Sure, you might get a juicy, sweet peach at the end of August, but you’re more likely to bite into a mouthful of mealy fruit than not.
BUT FRET NOT. Raid your neighbor’s fig tree (or come down in the morning to a bin full of them on the front step, delivered by the neighbor himself), and get ready to make the most delicious, small-batch fig and peach jam. It’s fast and easy and brings out the succulent peachy goodness that’s hiding behind that mealy texture.
Fig and Peach Jam
This makes about four half-pints of jam, with a little leftover to eat immediately over ice cream or spread on toast with goat cheese.
Ingredients
2 cups of peaches, peeled, pitted, and chopped*
2 cups figs, chopped
2 cups sugar
2-4 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
¼ to ½ teaspoon almond extract
Method
If you plan on water bath processing your jam, prepare your jars first. Wash jars and lids in warm, soapy water while you bring a stockpot of water to boil on the stove. Boil clean jars for two minutes, then move to a clean dish towel. Dip lids, ladles, and anything else you will use in the canning process into the boiling water and set aside.
Put a clean plate in the freezer to test the fig and peach jam for doneness. This will become clear soon.
Place figs, peaches, sugar, lemon juice, and salt in a large (at least 4-quart) pot. Leave lots of headspace for the jam to foam. Bring to a boil.
Play something nice on the radio or load up a podcast. Lower the heat to medium-low, and stir as the jam boils/simmers. Stir the foam down as it rises.
Boil for 15 minutes, then get out a masher or an immersion blender. Use either tool to mash some of the fruit or all of it if you like. I prefer some texture in my jam. Return the jam to a boil.
To see if your jam is ready, remove the frozen plate from the freezer and spoon some jam onto it. Let cool for a few minutes, then drag a finger through the jam. If it makes a path that does not get filled immediately by liquid-y jam, it’s ready. If the path fills in quickly, keep boiling and stirring. Wash the plate, dry it completely, and put it back in the freezer. Test after another ten minutes until the path your finger makes stays clear.
When it’s ready, remove the jam from the heat and stir in almond extract. You could skip this, but I would not recommend it. The almond adds a depth of flavor that really comes through in the final jam.
Ladle fig and peach jam into prepared jars, leaving ¼” headspace. If you are not planning on water bath processing, set aside and let cool at room temperature without moving overnight, then move to the ‘fridge or freezer.
To water bath can, heat a large stockpot of water to boiling. Carefully lower the jars of jam into the boiling water (make sure the water is at least an inch above the jars). Boil for five minutes, then remove to cool on the counter overnight. Listen for the lid to “pop,” indicating a seal. This might take a full 24 hours. If the lids don’t pop, you could either remove the lid, add a new one, and reprocess, or you can place it in the freezer or ‘fridge.
Unprocessed fig and peach jam is good in the fridge for a few weeks; canned jam with a proper seal lasts for years.
*Note: I used slightly more than two cups of peaches, and nearly exactly two cups of figs, as that is the fruit I had. You could change the ratio and add more figs than peaches if you like.
