Pickled Stone Fruit Jam
Post by Molly
August was a real race against the clock with my Local Roots & Tonnemaker Farms CSA. The consistent haze and heat made it hard to do more than sit on the stoop and eat lettuce out of a bag, or drink gin and tonics in front of our make shift air conditioner (a bowl of ice by the fan; doesn’t work).
My weather-induced laziness in the kitchen, combined with a month of dear friend’s weddings and beach weekends with family meant a significant pile up of melons, apples, cilantro, sweet corn, tomatoes, zucchini, collards, green beans…
It wasn’t until the plums came last week, nested together in a paper bag like perfect little eggs, that I felt ready to re-enter the kitchen. I recalled a jam recipe that I admired way back in winter when I could hardly remember the way the tart, papery skin of a plum or succulent meat of a tree-ripe peach tasted. This jam will help conjure up that memory, long into the cooler days ahead.
Although it’s “pickled,” the acidity in this jam is mild. It balances savory and sweet in a lovely way, similar to chutney. I enjoy it most slathered on a cracker with soft, spreadable cheese.
Prep: 20 minutes | Cook: 1 hour | Yield: 4 pints | Need: 4 pint sized jars with lids | Adapted from Renee Erickson’s A Boat, A Whale, A Walrus
WHAT YOU NEED
- 3 small dried chili peppers
- 5 lbs fresh, ripe stone fruit (I used a mix of peaches and plums), pitted and cut into quarters or eigthes
- 4 cups sugar
- 2 cups cider or champagne vinegar
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
WHAT YOU DO
- Add all of the ingredients to a sturdy pot, leaving an inch or two of room at the top.
- Cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.
- Bring the mixture to a gentle boil and cook, stirring occasionally, for 50-60 minutes.
- Make sure to give the jam enough time to thicken. You can test for doneness by placing a spoonful on a very cold plate. If it gels within a minute, it’s ready.
- Transfer to jam jars, let cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.
- Jam will keep up to 3 months, unopened, then for about 2 weeks once opened.
