Peach and Plum Jam

We bought our second lug of peaches over the weekend. The first lug consisted of Missouri peaches, the second lug comes from Colorado. I don't ever remember eating better peaches than those coming from both of these containers. They are sweet and juicy - what's not to like!

PEACHES!

I have already made one Peach Crisp and two Peach Cobblers, so today I decided to make a simple freezer Peach Jam. After peeling, seeding and slicing 2 1/2 pounds of peaches, I stirred in 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar and left them to soak in their juices for an hour, stirring occasionally. At that point, I squeezed half a lemon into the pot and started cooking down the mixture, skimming foam as it developed. Within half an hour, the juice had formed a nice syrup, sheeting off the spoon. This signaled it was time to put into half pint jars, cool and then place into the freezer for summer goodness during the cold, winter months. I love
preserving the best of summer's fruit in this fashion!

Cooking the Peaches down

I was delighted to see Italian Prune Plums in Fareway last weekend and knew it was time to make my version of Damson Plum Preserves. Though I love homemade peach jam, nothing quite compares to my memories of Damson Plum Preserves. My parents made this incredible jam when I was growing up in St. Louis, MO. I foolishly never bothered to help them with the process, but always kept a very special memory of this delectable treat. My favorite memory of eating this jam was on Christmas morning atop toasted English Muffins. Sharing this with the most special people in my life at that time, my mother, father, sister and brother, is a memory I will never forget. 

Plum Jam ready for the freezer