Homemade peach jam

Homemade peach jam is simply the best :). Made with plenty of vanilla, freshly grated lemon zest and lemon juice. Perfect for toast, pancakes, waffles and desserts. Make it as thick as you like – I usually reduce the juice a little further so that the jars are packed with generous pieces of fruit. Delicious!

Makes 2 jars.

Ingredients for the peach jam:

• 1.5 kg ripe peaches
• 400 g sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
• freshly grated zest and juice of 1 small lemon
• 1 teaspoon butter

Peel the peaches. To do this, bring a pan of water to the boil and prepare a bowl of iced water alongside it. Score a small cross in the skin on the base of each peach. Plunge the peaches into the boiling water for 30 seconds, then immediately transfer them to the iced water and peel – the skins should come off easily and quickly.

Stone the peeled peaches and cut them into thick slices. Place them in a heavy-based saucepan, add the lemon zest and juice and vanilla, then sprinkle with the sugar. Place over the heat and bring to the boil. Add 1 teaspoon of butter and cook for several hours (about 2, up to a maximum of 3 hours) over low heat, uncovered, until the peaches start to break down slightly and enough liquid has evaporated for the jam to reach the desired consistency. It is best to spread the cooking over 2 days.

How to check whether the jam has reached the right consistency? Place a small plate in the freezer. Spoon a little hot jam onto the frozen plate. If it sets and a skin forms on the surface that wrinkles when touched, the jam is ready and no further cooking is needed.

Sterilise the jars (with boiling water or in an oven preheated to 100°C). Pour in the jam and seal tightly. Set aside.

Preserving:

Line the bottom of a large, wide saucepan with tea towels. Place the jars inside, making sure they are not touching, and pour in enough boiling water to come three-quarters of the way up the jars. Bring to the boil (the water temperature must be similar to the temperature of the jars – never pour cold water over hot jars, as they may crack). Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. After this time, carefully remove the jars and leave them to cool completely. Some people also turn the jars upside down and wrap them in blankets, leaving them to cool overnight.

Enjoy!