Madagascar Vanilla Peach Jam

Peach Jam of any sort is delicious. This Vanilla Peach Jam has a incredible blast of Vanilla Extract and Pure Vanilla Pods dried and ground.

This is not only a Peach Jam Lover's delight it will stir the palate of all Vanilla Lovers.

We need to give thanks to Sweet Preservation and the Washington Fruit Commission for sending these big beautiful Peaches grow and hand picked in the beautiful state of Washington.





Ingredients - 8 half pint jars

8 cups of clean chopped peaches
2 cups of Dark Brown Sugar
1/8 cup pure Vanilla Extract
2 tablespoons of ground vanilla pods
1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice

In getting stared we always get all our equipment and ingredients ready.  This makes your canning time more enjoyable.

The first step is to clean, peel and chop your peaches. There are a few ways of doing this. You can do the hot water dip to peel. This to me takes far to much time and large amount of water. In the time it takes for the water to boil I have already hand peeled the peaches. Your choice. I just love working with my hands.

 
Alright now you have your peaches all clean and chopped. Put the peaches into your pot on a medium heat. Add the lemon, vanilla extract and one of the cups of brown sugar. Stir until the mixture has taken on some heat.





Now you can add your ground vanilla. This gives your jam that extra pop of flavor and adds such a nice visual to the jam.


Note the little specks of vanilla!








You are at the point of smush! And your second cup of brown sugar prior to the smush. Time to get your jam to the size you want the bite to be. I use a potato smasher to get my fruit down to size. I do not want it to be completely smashed I want you to get a piece of fruit and gather the delicious taste of summer.

It is just beautiful. I sure do get a lot of joy from making these concoctions!







You will need to get your jam up to the 223 degrees to get the gel point. I rarely use pectin anymore as I have gotten to the point of knowing the gel point and try super hard to put as little as possible into jam other than the fruit, lemon, sugar and a bit of pop for flavor!

Let's get this Peach Jam into jar's.

Turn the heat off the jam and let it sit while you get your jar's out of the water bath. By keeping them in the water bath they are hot and ready for the Jam. Fill the jars to 1/4 of the way from the top of your jar. Wipe the rim clean and cap your jar's. Place them carefully into the boiling water bath and let them have a 13 minute bath.

Once their bath is done turn off the heat let them sit for a minute or two and then remove and place on a cloth covered counter to cool for no less then 12 hours.





Once cooled remove the twist portion of the cap and wash your jars clean. Label and store in a dark and cool place. They are good for one year un-opened. Once opened refrigerate.


Disclaimer: This is not an all inclusive recipe for making jam. You should have a basic knowledge and understanding of the canning process before proceeding. Please consult your local Center for Home Preservation for additional information and available classes.