Honey-Sweetened Ginger Peach Jam

My fruit preserving career took off during Covid and there’s no stopping this runaway train.

For many, it was sourdough; for this girl, it was jammin’ and I’m happy to report that this exploration has lead me to discover that it’s not only a very doable process (no need to be psyched out) it’s also enormously satisfying (the sound of the lids sealing against jars alone is worth it) but, there’s more… I found a pure citrus pectin that jells with low amounts of sugar (using any sweetener of choice) — what a revelation!

We are spoiled with fruit trees in California and although we share (and swap) plenty with neighbors, we still end up with more than we can consume.  In the past, I’ve frozen the fruit (intentioned for smoothies and oatmeal etc. through the winter) but invariably it freezes into block ice that no pickaxe can get through.  These jammy preserves by contrast, we get to quite handily.

(And, unlike fresh fruit, I can ship these cuties by mail which makes me so happy!)

About this Recipe: 

• taste: this is a gently sweet, brightly aromatic jam with refreshing ginger notes – we love the taste but it is different from standard jam in that it is honey-sweetened & low sugar. The standard ratio of fruit to sugar by weight in jam is 1:1. By contrast, the fruit to sugar ratio of this jam recipe is about 8:1. The taste (and aroma) of the fruit really has an opportunity to shine and there’s a refreshing zing from the anti-inflammatory ginger (of course you can omit if zing is not your thing).
• texture: in addition to the reduced sweetness, the honey (liquid) sweetener produces a slightly different texture — I’d liken it to a chunky apple sauce (peach sauce!) – very spreadable and pleasant but again, a little different from a standard jam. I’m using white peaches (mostly cream colored interior flesh) with color from the skins of the peach (a wonderful method that uses up the whole fruit, outlined below).
• pectin: sugar plays an important role in preserving traditional jam – without sufficient amounts, your jam would not typically set. Pomona’s pectin/calcium powder is specially formulated to help jell/set low sugar and liquid sugar preserves.
• time: you’ll want to set aside about 2.5 hours to prep, cook and store your peach jam — nb: once you start jamming, it’s not easy (or desirable) to stop/interrupt the process, timing is important.

Key Steps (Please Read Fully):

• Preparing the Fruit: removing the skin of the peach is simple (and kinda magical) with a 1 minute blanching – the skin literally rolls off the peach with a touch of the finger and is then returned to the jam in the form of a vibrant liquid (color/flavor/nutrient infusion) — a bit like the rose petal infusion from the last post. Once skinned, the peach flesh is chopped into smaller pieces for cooking (no need to mash).
• Sterilizing the Jars: you’ll want to sterilize the jars and wash lids/rings in soapy water; using a large pot (or working in batches) fully submerge jars in boiling water for 10 minutes and remove with tongs (shaking off water) to dry on a clean kitchen towel.  The lids & rings can be hand-washed in soapy water, rinsed and placed beside the jars on clean kitchen towel (use as many towels as necessary).
• Prepping other Ingredients: lemon — bottled lemon is recommended in canning for its standardized pH (I use fresh lemon from our trees and strain it to remove pits, pulp, etc.).  Ginger — if you would like to use ginger in this recipe (it tastes wonderful, has potent anti-inflammatory properties and imparts a refreshing zing to the jam) — I recommend processing it into a finer grind after peeling.  Calcium Water — calcium water works with the pectin to help the jam set in a low sugar environment — Pomona’s package provides the calcium powder; you will use 1/2 tsp calcium powder to 1/2 cup water.  You can store leftover in a container in fridge for your next batch.  Sweetener — I’m using honey as my sweetener — according to Pomona’s you can use other liquid sweeteners such as maple syrup or agave and you can also use granulated sugar if preferred but the quantity of sugar cannot exceed 1 cup (the pectin will only dissolve in a low-sweetener mixture).

Equipment:

• required equipment: this recipe makes about 40 oz of jam, you will need: 1. quality glass jars (such as Ball, Kerr, etc.) with two piece lids to accommodate 40 oz (10 x 4 oz mason jars – the minis which is what I tend to use – or 5 x 8 oz or a combination of both);  2. 1 package of Pomona’s pectin (specially formulated for low-sugar jams) 3. a large lidded saucepan to sterilize and water bathe the jam jars; 4. a medium sized saucepan for cooking the jam; 5. canning tongs or regular tongs to submerge and lift the jars out of the hot water; 6. a large slotted spoon for removing foam (scum).
• helpful but not necessary: ◊ stainless steel funnel for pouring the hot jam into the jars (prevents splashing and mess, keeps things contained to the jar); ◊ magnetic lid lifter for grabbing the lids once cleaned; ◊ candy thermometer for temperature check (not essential with Pomona’s but I sometimes like to see where things are at).

How to Select & Ripen Peaches:

You can determine if a peach is ripe a few ways — eyes: the yellow part of the skin should be a deep color, nose: the fruit should have a sweet/fruity peach fragrance when you smell it and touch: you can give the fruit a gentle squeeze (peaches are very sensitive and prone to bruising so go easy), there should be some give — maybe not quite as much as a ripe avocado but same idea.

Peaches continue ripening off the tree but it’s important to lay them out on a flat surface not touching each other while they ripen; I learned the hard way that if you place peaches in a bowl on top of each other, they will quickly spoil as they ripen.  Lay out a towel on a table or counter top and spread them out over top; the time needed to ripen will depend entirely on how far along they are. Taste testing is always a good option.

scoring in preparation for blanching – make an x on the underside of each peach

tasty and bright, ginger pairs beautifully with the peach (you can omit or reduce quantity to taste as desired; 2 Tbsp is present but not too bold, 4 Tbsp is quite zingy :) 

once blanched, the skin of the peach rolls off effortlessly with a touch of the finger (no knife, etc. required)

as soft as a baby’s bottom …

reserve the skins of the peaches for simmering

simmering the skins extracts their flavor, color & nutrients which are added back into the jam

look at that colour (try a taste too – it’s like a concentrated peach nectar, so good!)

I’m using white peaches, this colorful skin infusion will bring a rose blush to the jam

deliciousness in the making

final rolling boil, the foam formation at this stage is common and can be removed with a slotted spoon – temperature check is not essential with Pomona’s but I like to make sure we’re at least at 212F for 2 minutes

once the jam is poured into the sterilized jars (a funnel is helpful) gently circle the rim with a clean cloth before placing lids

10 minute water bath with jam filled jars – once removed from water and resting on counter, you will hear the lids “pop” as they seal against the mouth of the jar ~ it’s my favorite part:)

peach bar 🍑 find a quiet spot (coolish/darkish) away from meddling hands to settle your jars for 24 hours (no touchy!)

come to Mama …  after a 24 hour rest, the jam should be set and ready to try

lots of yummy peachiness

mmmm…. on toasted sourdough english muffs…. hello sunshine

5.0 from 3 reviews

Homemade Ginger Peach Jam (Honey Sweetened)

 

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Prep time

2 hours

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

2 hours 30 mins

 

An aromatic and refreshing ginger peach jam delicately sweetened with honey

Author: kelly

Serves: 40 oz

Ingredients

• ◊ 1.3 kg/ 3 pounds ripe peaches (skin on/pits in)
  
• ◊ 32 ml / 2 Tbsp lemon juice (bottled is recommended if using fresh, be sure to strain)
  
• ◊ 170-255g / ½ - ¾ cup room temperature honey according to taste preference *do not exceed 340g/1 cup with this pectin* otherwise it won't set, it is formulated for low sugar)
• ◊ 27-54g (about 2-4 Tbsp) fine grated fresh ginger (peel & roughly chop the ginger and process further in a small blender) -- you can omit the ginger or use less according to preference (2 Tbsp is present but not too bold, 4 Tbsp has a good zing)
• ◊ 1 Package of Pomona's Universal pectin:
• 4 tsp Pomona's calcium water
• 2.5 tsp Pomona's pectin

Instructions

1. Preparing the Fruit: 1 Minute blanch to remove peach skins: wash and remove stems of peaches. Using a pairing knife, score the underside of each peach (make a cross formation into the skin, see photo). Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to boil and then reduce to simmer. Gently lower peaches into the simmering water and blanch for 1 minute. Have another large bowl of ice water waiting beside; placing each blanched peach into the cold water for a couple minutes (working in batches as necessary) and then transfer to work surface.
   
2. Roll off the Skins: the skin of the peaches should fall away without much effort revealing the gorgeously smooth peach underneath. Reserve the skins and place them in a small pot on stove with 1 cup of water (the skin will be used as a flavor/color/nutrient infusion in your jam!) -- bring the water to boil and then reduce immediately to simmer for 5 minutes. Strain into a bowl and reserve -- you should end up with ½-3/4 cup of colorful water (it tastes so flavorful too).
3. Chop peach flesh into smaller pieces: slice the peach flesh away from the pit and chop into smaller pieces (mashing is not necessary). Discard the pits and reserve the chopped peach flesh.
4. Other Ingredient Prep: Meanwhile measure out lemon juice (bottled lemon juice is recommended but if you're using fresh lemon juice be sure to strain it), prepare calcium water and sterilize jars (see info in post).
   
5. Place the peeled and coarsely chopped ginger into a small processor and process until finely ground.
6. Prepare sweetener: In a roomy bowl, add 2.5 tsp of Pomona's pectin powder to desired amount of honey -- (use anywhere from ½ cup - 1 cup of honey according to sweetness preference (don't exceed 1 cup though otherwise the jam won't set), mix well to combine (the honey may be a little stiff so be sure to work to smoothness).
7. Ready for Cooking: Place the peaches in a medium or large saucepan and add: 4 tsp of calcium water, lemon juice and ginger, mixing to combine. Add the colorful peach skin liquid and mix again to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the pectin-honey, whisking vigorously for 1-2 minutes until the pectin-honey mixture is properly dissolved and integrated. Bring jam back up to a full rolling boil for 2 minutes before removing from heat -- foam formation is common and can be removed with a slotted spoon. Pomona's pectin does not require reaching a specific temperature (220F is usually the golden rule) but I sometimes do a temp check just to make sure I'm at least at a standard full boil (212F) for those 2 minutes before removing from heat.
8. Pouring: Allow the jam to sit for 3 minutes before pouring into sterilized jars (a funnel is helpful); wipe the edge/perimeter of the jars with a clean kitchen towel. Place lids on jars and affix rings (not too tight). Return large pot of water (the one you used to sterilized jars) to boil and carefully lower jam filled jars into the water for a 10 minute water bath. Remove jars one by one and return to counter to sit (you will hear the glorious sound of popping as the lids seal as the jam cools). Leave your jars undisturbed for 24 hours (place them away from traffic in a cool spot out of direct sunlight). After 24 hours, check each jar to ensure proper seal before enjoying. The shelf life for cooked and processed jams with Pomona's pectin is one year. Once opened, the jam will last about 2 weeks in the fridge.

3.5.3251

Tips, Final Thoughts & Troubleshooting:

• like all things, the more familiar you are with the process, the easier and smoother it gets and the more confidence you gain; I learn something new with each batch and it provides a set of tools to build on;
• as I mentioned at the outset, be sure to give yourself plenty of uninterrupted time for this recipe; it’s not difficult it just involves many steps and some timing;
• the foam that forms while the fruit is cooking is common — you can use a slotted spoon to remove it and you can also optionally add 1/2 tsp of butter to dissolve any remaining foam;
• you want to cook the peaches sufficiently to get a proper set but overcooking can destroy the jelling power of the pectin;
• Pomona’s does not require a set temperature beyond the final rolling boil (the golden standard is usually 220F) however I do like to let the fruit boil for about 2 minutes at that final rolling boil stage prior to removing from heat (going much past that risks overcooking);
• Once removed from heat, I let the pot sit for about 3 minutes before pouring the jam into jars (this prevents fruit float) — going beyond that is not ideal (the jam may start to jell);
• for a softer gel, you can scale back on the pectin by 1/2 tsp increments in future batches.

decorate the jars for gifting if you like ~ this is my meyer lemon marmalade