Home Made Summer Jam – Vanilla, Peach

& Nectarine

This post is linked to Thankful Thursday at Kate Says Stuff blog. I haven’t linked up to Thankful Thursday for a little while and that is not because I have not been thankful – just busy…

I made this jam from some fruit I purchased at the Queen Victoria Market. I must say – it makes me want to have jam on toast for breakfast, lunch and dinner! I am thankful I have two demanding little boys to keep me on my toes and eating something more suitable for dinner.

I am thankful for the beautiful stone fruit that grows and we can buy at this time of year. It is like tasting sunshine. I adore it. Making jam is one way to enjoy summer produce once Summer fades and the fruit selection drops off.

The recipe is adapted for one published in Delicious Magazine authored by Skye Gyngell. It is on page 162 of the issue but I have it in my recipe folder so I am unsure of the publication month and year….I have made some minor adjustments and changes to Skye’s recipe.

Makes approximately 1 liter of jam. Make only the amount of jam you will use in less than one year.

Ingredients:

2 kilos of fruit – I used 1430 grams or peaches and 570 grams of nectarines
2 1/2 teaspoons of good quality vanilla bean paste
1 kilo of Jam Setting Sugar (CSR)
1/4 teaspoon of salt
zest of 1 lemon and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice

Steps:

Wash the fruit and roughly chop it into small pieces. Keep 2 of the seed pits aside and add in with the pieces of fruit. I peeled the nectarines prior to cutting them up
Add all of the ingredients except the sugar into a wide based pot and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes
Locate and remove the two pits from the pan
Add the sugar and stir to dissolve
Increase the heat to high once the sugar has dissolved and boil rapidly for approximately 30 minutes. Put a small dish or saucer into the fridge in preparation for the wrinkle test
Do a wrinkle test and if the jam has set remove it from the heat and pot into warm sterilised jars. To read how to sterilise jars click here.

For detailed information on sterilizing jars for storage of Preserves review the USD Complete Guide to Home Canning (Guide 01).

**It is important that you ensure you use safe food preparation and storage techniques when preserving. You can find detailed information via the link to the USD Complete Guide to Home Canning.

See Hints below for information on a wrinkle test. Allow the jar to cool and store in a cool dry location

Hints and Tips:

When I make another batch of this jam I will cut the fruit into smaller pieces.

Wrinkle Test – Place a small saucer or dish in the fridge when you start making the jam. To test if it is ready put a dollop of jam onto the saucer and allow it to cool for a minute. Once cool push the surface gently with your finger. If it wrinkles it is ready and can be removed from the heat. If it is not ready test again in a few minutes. I have read that you use a thermometer to check if the temperature has reached 105 degrees Celsius – 22o degree Fahrenheit it is ready.

This post is linked to Thankful Thursday at Kate Says Stuff. Visit to see what others are thankful for.

Seana Smith says:

February 2, 2012 at 7:29 am

Hello there, this looks lovely. My mum is a great jam maker with all the berries she grows in the garden… and I have yet to make jam at all. It’s on the 2012 list!!

Rhianna says:

February 2, 2012 at 9:05 am

I love summer fruits, esp when I go down south. For some reason it always tastes better than what we get up here. You. Ace making jam sound so easy

Nicole (SportyMummy) says:

February 2, 2012 at 9:10 am

Hi! That jam sounds so yummy!! living in Canberra, we often have a glut of stone fruit at this time of year. I often use the bread-maker to make jam.

Kyrstie says:
February 2, 2012 at 9:38 am

Hi Nicole, that sounds interesting. How do you do that?

Jenny (MWIP) says:

February 2, 2012 at 9:33 am

Thanks for the recipe. have always wanted to make jam but have always been a bot scared. Will gove it a go!

Erin @ she cooks, she gardens says:

February 2, 2012 at 11:22 am

Mmm yum, this sounds divine. I have recently joined a preserves group so I’m starting a bit of a collection. I might have to give this a go while I can still get peaches. 🙂