I feel a bit like I had already canned stone fruit nearly every way possible by the time this can jam came around. I was at a bit of a loss as to how to make something new and interesting for our monthly challenge. In fact, I must confess that I’m actually looking forward to the seasonal slow down that’s now coming. Not that I’m tired of canning exactly, but I am ready to be turned loose from this urgency to capture as much summer goodness as possible before it takes its final bow.
This particular batch of jam was born from the fact that I had a couple of pounds of peaches that were ripening faster than I could eat them, as well as a handful of plums that were going soft. A generous hunk of ginger was hanging out in the fruit bowl. And thus, a jam was born.
My fruit ratio was approximately 3/4 peaches to 1/4 plums, but you can vary those amounts to accept whatever proportions you have on hand. The ginger was blended with a bit of water and then squeezed through cheesecloth in order to make a potent, gingery brew.
The result is sweet and spicy (not for those who shy away from a strong ginger flavor). I liked it upon initial taste, but I’ve found that my overrun jar in the fridge has mellowed into something I’m really digging.
Peach-Plum Ginger Jam
Ingredients
- 5 cups peaches peeled and mashed
- 2 cups plums mashed
- 3 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup ginger juice*
Instructions
- In a large, non-reactive pot, combine all ingredients. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for approximately 20 minutes (please remember that jam cooking times vary widely depending on width of your pot, kitchen humidity and sugar levels in the fruit) until the jam is thick and passes the plate test. Using a thermometer and taking the cooking jam to as close to 220 degrees is also another good technique.
- When jam is sufficiently cooked, fill prepared jars. Wipe rims, apply lids and screw on rings. Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes.
- When processing time is up, remove jars from canner and let them cool on a towel-lined countertop. When jars are cool enough to handle, remove rings and test seals by grasping the outside edge of lid and lifting the jar carefully off the countertop. The lid should stay firmly in place on the jar.
- Store jars in a cool, dark place for up to one year.
So, it looks like heaven. Well done!
I’m so with you on the end-of-summer canning fatigue. Looking forward to the leisurely tinkering of January. I like that ginger infusion idea; I may have to try that one!
Wow, I really wish my peach tree produced something significant so I could do a jam like this.
This sounds incredible; will have to try it.
I’m with you on canning too. I’m about wore out trying to figure out how I’m going to get everything to the last drop. 🙂 Then by February I’m ready to can again. Is that funny?
I felt the same way about stone fruits which is why my contribution to the can jam this month is the most boring of boring. I would have done better if the tomatoes and stone fruits were switched. My CSA farm won’t even have romas for me until next week. I made a plum nectarine jam last year that we ended up using almost exclusively in jam tarts. Your jam sounds like it might be good in that application too.
Perfect timing! I have to can the rest of the plums from our tree and this recipe sounds really good with the ginger.
My husband will be happy with the peaches. After canning many jars of plums, I found out he’s just not into them. Great, plums anyone?
Love your blog.
MB
Oh i really like the idea of ginger in with oeaches and plums. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Thanks for the idea Marissa!
I went apple picking yesterday and also picked up some peaches and plums that have decided to ripen at a lightning quick speed… I’ve actually been pondering a peach and plum butter and came on here to get your peach butter recipe and found this beautiful recipe on the front page! I’m not entirely sure I’ll switch over to a jam because in the throes of a fruit butter obsession, not like there aren’t about a million jars of jam in the cupboard from a mere 2 months ago.
Ms. Whiteplates: My basic recipe for fruit butter is eight cups of pureed fruit, cooked down in the slow cooker. After it reduces by at least a quarter, I add a bit of sweetener and spices. However, if you wanted to make a gingery fruit butter, you could add some ginger juice with the fruit in the beginning.
Love those jars.
Absolutely delish! I made this last night, and my boyfriend surprised me this morning with homemade biscuits to smear it on. Divine!
I’m getting to that had enough of preserving for a year feeling that i always get at this time of year too, loved your tomato jam recipe though, never tried that, looks lovely, and a change from the usual sauce that I do. We’ve had an excellent tomato year here in uk for once!
I’m late to the September canjam dance! But it did allow me to peruse some delish recipes (including your’s!) and call it out in my post. I love ginger, esp this time of year. The perfect ingredient!
Here’s mine:
http://www.canningwithkids.com/blog/2010/10/brandied-peach-preserves.html
Looking forward to october!
I just picked up 5 lbs of peaches and I’m hoping to try this recipe. This is my first foray into canning (!), but I love peaches and ginger, so I thought I’d give it a shot.
A couple questions: Will it work with just peaches and no plums? I’ve read up on how important acid content is in a canning recipe and noticed that this one has no lemon juice or other acid added, are the peaches acidic enough on their own? I’m just starting to understand how this all works. Thanks for any advice!
It will certainly work with just peaches and no plums. And most fruit have enough acid on their own not to need additional acid for safety. This recipe is just fine without additional acid.
It worked! At least as far as I can tell, it worked. 🙂 I did notice a few air bubbles trapped in the jars, though. Is that going to be a problem? Also, I realized I had no idea how much 4 0z. of ginger was, so I think I went a little easy on the ginger. I was hoping for more kick. Thanks for the recipe! Looking forward to trying more.
Hi – this is Beth again. I’m planning on giving some of these jars that I made in August as Christmas gifts, but I’ve noticed that the jam at the top of the jar is slightly darker than the rest of the jam. I only used peaches, no plums, so it’s a nice yellow color as opposed to the darker jam in your photos. Does this discoloration mean it’s bad? Still gift-able? I don’t want to poison anyone with my gifts! Let me know! Thanks!
Beth, that is just normal darkening that happens over time. It is totally safe to eat. You can give it to your friends and family without worry. Though you might want to reassure them that it is still perfectly fine too.
I can’t wait to try this! I’m assuming from the recipe that I do not need to add pectin?
Nope, no pectin required.
this jam sounds amazing, however, i want a bit of a sweet jam instead. is it okay to leave out the ginger? or should i substitute lemon juice? thanks!
You can certainly skip the ginger. You can add a hint of lemon if you feel like it needs a little balance.
I bought peaches fresh from my local farmer’s market, but the plums I had to buy at a grocery store. Should I peel the plums too? I hear the plums sold at grocery stores are sometimes coated in wax…
I never peel plums, because they hold their tartness in the skin. Without it, the flavor is unbalanced.
…and this may seem like a silly question, but are the 5 cups of peaches and 2 cups plums measurements before or after mashing? I measured 7 cups of fruit total and once mashed, it measured about 4 1/2…
(Thank you for your help, by the way! I was so excited when I found this recipe. Can’t wait to see how it turns out!)
Do you measure the fruit before or after mashing?
Can you give approx measurements of a piece of ginger that weighs four ounces?
Thanks!
ONE more question! (Can you tell I’m a novice canner?) I tried this recipe last week and loved it so much I purchased your book! I noticed, however, that the book version of this recipe calls for 4 cups of peaches and 2 cups of plums (making 6 cups fruit total) where as the version on this site calls for 5 cups of peaches and 2 cups of plums (7 cups of fruit total). Which version is correct, and does the 1 cup make a difference as to whether or not the jam will keep? Thank you!
They are both correct. I just streamlined the recipes for the book.
Made your yellow tomato basil jam last week… So yummy! Going to try this one next week, but am wondering why the processing time on the other is 10 minutes but this one is 20? Just curious. Also, since I don’t like things too spicy, I plan to cut the pepper flakes in half. Is there a point at which you recommend tasting the jam and then adjusting the amountt of pepper flakes if it needs more? Thank you!
I am sorry, I thought I was posting this comment on your tomato jam recipe… I will repost it there…
I’m really excited about the jam! I doubled the recipe, and found that 7 cups of sugar left it a little too sweet for me. I’m thinking serving it with fresh goat cheese on a baguette might do the trick.
Along with this comment- since sugar is the preservative, is it ok to cut down a bit on the sugar?
Just curious if I could use that jar of candied ginger that has been sitting in my pantry for a year. Maybe add some lemon juice to balance it out?
I have a new favorite! I used 4 cups of peaches, 2 cups of Italian plum/prunes, 2T candied ginger and a half a lemon worth of juice.Yum! Even my picky 8 year old loved it. You definitely need to give this one a try!
I made this jam last year from your cookbook, but just a single batch. Everyone in my family loved it and we ran out really fast. More this year!
Could you up this recipe and still achieve a good set? I was thinking of upping it to 7 cups of peaches, 3 cups of plums, and 5 cups of sugar, keeping the ginger juice the same. Would this work?
It probably will have a very soft set if you do that.
I just made a batch of this lovely jam – so happy to use two fruits, instead of only one. The ginger gives it a delicious twist.