Cherry + Peach All Fruit Jam

decorated bowl with yogurt, jam and sliced peaches

Excerpted from Preserving with Pomona’s Pectin by Allison Carroll Duffy (Fair Winds Press, June 2013)

Allison says: “Cherries and peaches are so naturally sweet that they’re especially suitable for an all-fruit jam. For the sweetest, most delicious jam, select peaches and cherries that are at peak ripeness, and be sure to choose a sweet cherry variety—Bing cherries are a good option. This jam is so intensely fruity that you’ll be hard-pressed not to eat it by the spoonful right out of the jar. It’s also delicious swirled into a bowl of yogurt.”

Servings cups

Ingredients

1 pound fully ripe peaches
1 pound sweet cherries
¼ cup lemon juice bottled
4 teaspoons calcium water see step #1
1 cup unsweetened apple juice concentrate
3 teaspoons Pomona’s Pectin mixed with concentrate (see step #6)

U.S. - Metric

Instructions

Before you begin, prepare calcium water.
To do this, combine ½ teaspoon calcium powder (in the small packet in your box of Pomona’s pectin) with ½ cup water in a small, clear jar with a lid. Shake well.
Extra calcium water should be stored in the refrigerator for future use.
Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. Wash lids and bands and set aside.
Peel and remove pits from peaches, and then mash the peaches in a large bowl. Set aside.
Rinse cherries, remove stems, slice in half and remove pits, and then chop the cherries—by hand with a chef’s knife or with a food processor.
Combine the mashed peaches and the chopped cherries and mix well. Measure 3 cups of the fruit mixture (saving any extra for another use), and combine the measured quantity in a saucepan with lemon juice and calcium water. Mix well.
In a separate pan, bring apple juice concentrate to a boil. Pour hot juice concentrate into a blender or food processor, and then add pectin powder. Vent the lid and blend for 1 to 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides with a rubber spatula as needed, until powder is thoroughly dissolved. Set aside.
Bring cherry-peach mixture to a full boil over high heat, and then slowly add the pectin–juice concentrate mixture, stirring constantly. Continue to cook and stir jam for 1 minute as the jam comes back up to a boil. Once the jam returns to a full boil, remove it from the heat.
Remove hot jars from canner and fill jars with (marmalade/jam/jelly), leaving ¼ inch of headspace. Remove trapped air bubbles, wipe rims and put on lids and screw bands, tightening bands only to “fingertip tight” (until resistance is met, and then just the tiniest bit more).
Place jars in the hot water, on the rack inside the canner. (Make sure jars are upright, not touching each other or the sides of the canner, and are covered with at least 1-2 inches of water). Place the lid on the canner, bring the canner to a rolling boil, and boil for 10 minutes. (Add 1 minute additional processing time for every 1000 feet above sea level.)
Turn off heat and allow canner and jars to sit for 5 minutes. Then, remove jars from canner. Allow jars to cool undisturbed for 12-24 hours. Then, confirm that jars have sealed, then store properly. Eat within 1 year. Lasts 3 weeks once opened.

Notes

Customize It!

If you’re looking for something new, why not substitute some different fruits? In place of or in combination with the cherry and peach in this recipe, use pear, apricot, mango, fig, or sweet plum—or use a combination of any of these fruits.