Well, not millions. Last year we planted a Frost Peach tree near our garden, and waited to see what it would do. This spring it had lots of beautiful pink blossoms, which our honeybees seemed to like. And then it set lots and lots of small peaches. Neat!
Yesteraday, we spotted one on the ground, still perfect and untouched by bugs or birds. I squeezed a couple of the rest, and they were ripe, so we picked all of them off the tree and brought them inside, and I pondered what to make out of them. Todd peeled one and bit into it, and exclaimed that it was really good, and offered me a taste. I tried it, and it was definitely ripe, and very sweet. Then I suddenly realized…he always said he didn’t like peaches! About a month after we started dating I’d gone on a trip to Chelan and brought back peaches and cherries, and left them in a basket on his porch, only to find that he didn’t like peaches. Hrmph. Apparently he “forgot” and now he likes them. Go figure.
At any rate, what to make of them? Peach cobbler? Tasty, but we have a tendency to not finish dishes like that, and they end up going moldy in the fridge and getting either thrown out or fed to the chickens. Nope. Not good. Peach jam? Never had peach jam. Spicy peach jam? Peach butter? Peach salsa?
Today I decided upon Ginger Peach jam for about half the peaches, and Brandied Peaches for most of the rest, with four saved out for eating fresh. The jam is really, really good, made with candied ginger from Trader Joes. And I’m looking forward to making some fresh vanilla ice cream with whole local cream, vanilla beans, and fresh eggs from my girls, to go with the brandied peaches which were made with some spiced Solstice Brandy I made last fall. Yum.
Ginger Peach Jam
- 4 1/2 cups of diced ripe peaches
- 1/4 cup finely chopped candied ginger
- 6 cups sugar
- 1 box fruit pectin
Sterilize 7 half-pint jars in boiling water for 10 minutes, keep hot. Scald lids and rings and keep warm.
If starting with fresh whole peaches (as you should), drop them into boiling water for 1 minute. Remove, and slide the peel off under cold water. Remove the pits and chop the peaches coarsely. Add a splash of lemon juice to the bowl you’re chopping the peaches into, and stir every time you add a peach, to keep them from browning.
In a non-reactive saucepan, combine the peaches, ginger, and the pectin, stir well. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat. Add all the sugar at once, stir well, and return to a full rolling boil. Boil 1 minute, remove from heat. Fill jars, leaving 1/4″ headspace. Wipe rims with a wet, clean cloth. Add lids and screw bands, screw down finger tight.
Process 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. Makes about 7 half-pints.
Brandied Peaches
- 5 pounds peaches (freestone peaches are best)
- 1 cup brandy
- 3 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 cups water
- Whole cloves
- Cinnamon stick
Sterilize pint jars in boiling water for 10 minutes, keep hot. Scald lids and rings and keep warm.
If starting with fresh whole peaches (as you should), drop them into boiling water for 1 minute. Remove, and slide the peel off under cold water. Pour 1/4 cup of lemon juice into the bottom of a bowl. Roll the peach around in the lemon juice and set aside on cutting board, until all peaches are peeled. Cut around peach to halve them and remove pits. Quarter if desired, or leave as halves.
In a saucepan, combine water with sugar, and bring to boil. Remove from heat, keep warm.
Pack peach halves or quarters into hot, sterile jars, leaving 1/2″ headspace. Add 1/2 a cinnamon stick and 3-4 whole cloves.
Stir brandy into the hot syrup. Fill jars with syrup, leaving 1/2″ headspace. Add lids and screw bands, screw down finger tight. Process in a boiling water canner 20 minutes (or 25 minutes if you use quart jars.) Serve chilled over ice cream, or warm over pound cake or angel food cake.