On the hunt for a quick, satisfying preservation project? Look no further than this small batch nectarine lime jam recipe!
I love making tiny batches of jam (I often wish I could write a second volume of Preserving by the Pint, because I so enjoy developing small, quick preserving recipes). This one is a three ingredient job, made with just 1 1/2 pounds of nectarines (thanks Washington State Stone Fruit Growers!), a scant cup of sugar, and the zest and juice from a small lime.
Cooked down in a stainless steel skillet, it needs no more than 15 minutes on the stove. You can either process it, or funnel it into a jar, pop it in the fridge, and eat it until it is gone. Fast. Easy. Good.
Small Batch Nectarine Lime Jam
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds nectarines about 4 cups chopped
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 lime zested and juiced
Instructions
- Prepare a boiling water bath canner and three half pint jars.
- Combine the nectarines, sugar, and lime zest and juice in a low, wide, non-reactive pan.
- Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce the heat to medium. Simmer until thick (12-18 minutes, depending on the height of the heat and the width of your pan).
- Funnel into the prepared jars. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes.
- When the time is up, remove the jars and set them on a folded kitchen towel to cool. When the jars have cooled enough that you can comfortably handle them, check the seals. Sealed jars can be stored at room temperature for up to a year. Any unsealed jars should be refrigerated and used promptly.
Nectarines are at their peak here; I bought some today and ate the first one…so ripe and perfect. I’d love to capture that in a jar.
Can I double this if I cook it down a little longer, or do I need to make two small batches sequentially?
Back to the store for more nectarines…and limes!
It will take longer to cook if you double the batch, but it can be done.
Oh, yay!
I have been loving my new small batch process, thanks to your blog. My old water bath canner was really too big for my electric range, so I bought a big stock pot and silicone trivet after seeing it on your blog. I’ve just now made one change, though. The collapsible trivet was making me nuts because it wouldn’t lie flat on the bottom of the pot when I was trying to place my jars, so I ordered a flat but holey one. Going to try that out with this next batch.
Thanks for all the inspiration!
Oh yes – PLEASE do write another book – your books got me into to this wonderful sticky, cupboards overflowing with jam and dilly beans, canning jars everywhere, now own 3 canning pots mess! I often give your books as presents to encourage friends to partake in all the fun of canning! I would love to add another of your books to my book shelf!
I’m seeing the value of of small batch, too. I found myself with some lovely pickling cucumbers. Too many to eat fresh and almost too few to process. Twice. I made refrigerator bread and butter pickles last week, not quite a quart. And this week, i found a recipe of the scaled down Ball recipe for dill spears, making three pints that are just barely filled. I also had just a few peaches and apricots, but alas, while I saved the peaches by slicing them with sugar to have over pancakes or ice cream, the apricots bit the dust. In this day and age, we just don’t have the luxury of setting aside an afternoon or day to process a bushel of anything. (And believe me, forty to forty-five years ago, as the eldest sibling of six, my Mom and I did just that.)
Nectarines are poor to pitiful to work with but I have an abundance of small cucumbers. Can I Loe Temp Pastuize a cucumberjelly using this method?
Unfortunately, I don’t know the answer to that question.
That colour is gorgeous. This might be on the agenda, now that our weather has cooled slightly.
I’m definitely making this! Do you recommend removing the skins from the nectarines?
There’s no need to remove the skins. If I think you need to peel your fruit, I will tell you in the recipe.
Looks testy, healthy and yummy, Will try it for my younger brother and hope he would like it.
how about preserving by the half-pint? 🙂 and that’s a serious suggestion – most of what i make (household of two) goes in half-pint jars.
This recipe is already written for half pint jars. If you want to can it in even smaller ones, you certainly could.
Interested, but the lack of a metric version left me nowhere to go but elsewhere.
You could easily convert it yourself.
Great recipe!
I made it almost as written last night, adding 1/2 tsp ground cardamom towards the end because I love it, and it’s just terrific– bright and sweet, perfect texture.
I usually make bigger batches in my low stockpot, but I might be a new small batch in a skillet technique convert– I loved how fast it went and how I could really see how the set was developing without the wrinkle or plate in the freezer set tests. For tomorrow’s tomato jam bonanza, I see two skillets on my stovetop..
Thank you! And your additions sound delicious. I’m so glad that you are liking the skillet batches. It really is a game changer.
Just wondering, can I swap honey or maple syrup?
You could swap in honey. I don’t typically recommend maple for skillet jams, it can caramelize too fast.