Peach Melba Jam
Sunday morning I got up super early. Well sixish. Usually, during the week, Husband lets the chickens out before he leaves for work at six. I put them back in before I leave for work later. It gives them some time to stretch their legs. They do this quietly unless the neighbor decides to bring her dog over to the fence for a look at “the yummy chickens” (that’s a whole other story entirely). On the weekends he sleeps in and he could sleep through a train wreck. So this leaves it my duty to answer Betty’s call and let them out. If you try to ignore Betty’s soft call and sleep in after six, she quickly gets louder. Yelling “Hey let me out of here! I’m up you should be too! Your late!” Then Doris will join her. So it was sixish and I was up and ready to face the day.
I decided to use the cool of the early morning and make peach melba jam. Saturday, at the farmer’s market, I had bought some peaches. There was an intention Saturday afternoon to make the jam. It was so hot out I just couldn’t bear the thought of spending any time in the kitchen. We have no air conditioner you see. We live on an island where there are always ocean breezes. Not true. The air was still, hot, sticky, heavy, and miserable. I had used the early morning wake up call Saturday to go pick raspberries as mentioned in the last post. The raspberries are what make normal peach jam “peach melba jam”.
I picked up around the kitchen and prepped it for preserving. There is a system I have developed for myself, in my little kitchen, where everything is within reach and ready ahead of time so when I get down to the cooking, I can focus on that and not ever have to leave the pot. I measure out the ingredients. Put the pectin in a cup on the unused back burner and usually there is a pat of unsalted butter involved that gets put on the same burner on a plate.
I arrange utensils and line up the jars, with extras in case of accident, like little soldiers. Last but not least I set up my processing pot on the other back burner. While the fruit is coagulating with the sugar, I sterilize the jars.
The recipe for peach melba jam is from the “Blue Ribbon Preserves” book that I have mentioned before. Everyone loves it. I use that book a lot. Last year was a bad raspberry year and I made the peach preserves recipe instead. It also received rave reviews. I present the finished product (fruit floated again) and an early morning well spent. Next up more dilly beans. Ever adding to the pantry.
I love preserving. I never had spaghetti sauce from a jar until I went away to college. I grew up on just about any preserve my mom could think up. Your jars look sublime!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait for Ohio's peaches---very soon. Your chickens are beautiful, BTW.
ReplyDeleteInviting you the Carnival of Home Preserving on my blog today and every Friday. Hope to see you there. Laura Williams’ Musings http://laurawilliamsmusings.blogspot.com
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