It is one of the most delicious jams that can be prepared in the summer. And with the addition of flowers or herbs it becomes really irresistible
Whether they are nectarines, yellow pasta, walnuts or percoche, peaches are perfect to prepare sweet jams to be enjoyed throughout the year. The choice of fruits, their preparation and then cooking, are ritual gestures that make the production of preserves a special moment of the year, to be remembered every time we are going to open a jar to taste its flavor. The fun is also to discover which ingredient can be combined with fruit to make ours preserve absolutely unique and unforgettable. Like aromatic herbs, spices or … lavender, in the case of peach jam. Fragrant and beautiful purple flowers to add to the already cooked mixture, to create an intriguing aroma and a spectacular visual effect!
The recipe for peach jam with lavender
Take 1 kg of peaches already pitted, wash them, peel them and cut them into small pieces. Put the fruit in a large bowl, cover it with the juice of a lemon and 450 g of brown sugar. Cover with a cloth and leave rest for 24 hours. Pour the mixture into a large pan, cook over low heat, stirring often and skimming, if necessary, with a slotted spoon. Leave on the heat until you have reached it the desired consistency, then turn off and pour the contents into the already sterilized jars, then add two or three lavender flowers (washed and dried) for each jar, stir and then close with the new caps. Put the jars in a pot with water, bring to a boil and have it sterilized for an hour, then let it cool in water and finally place the containers with the peach jam in a dark and dry place.
Sugar and its two valences
Sugar plays a key role in the preparation of jams. First, as you can easily guess, it serves to make the fruit even sweeter. But the most important function takes place preventing the compound from alterarsthe. The quantity to be added depends strictly on the type of fruit used and the quantity of sweet part present in it. Normally it is considered to add from 60 to 100% compared to the weight of the fruit used. When too little is added, it is necessary to cook the jam more, with the risk that the excessive evaporation alters the taste of the fruit.
Lemon, indispensable for thickening
With the addition lemon juice allows jams made with fruit such as peaches, apricots and cherries to reach a degree of consistency that would otherwise be impossible to obtain. These fruits, in fact, lack a correct level of pectic substances, necessary for having a thickened compound. Lemon juice, such as currant, responds to this need.
Sterilization of jars
It is always a very important moment: tasting handmade preserves must be a "safe" pleasure, without health risks. So first take your jars and put them in a pan full of water. Check that they are completely submerged, bring to a boil and let them be sterilized for 1 hour. Then remove them from the water and fill them with freshly made jam, leaving 1 cm empty from the edge. Close each jar with a new cap, put each jar back in the same pot of water e boil for about 30 minutes, wrapping each can in a cloth to prevent it from breaking. After the 30 minutes check that the vacuum has formed: if, pressing on the cap, you will feel the classic"Click-clack", you will have achieved the desired effect, otherwise continue with the boiling.
And if you want to try: here is also the recipe for peaches in syrup
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