A fiery and sweet jam which lets you enjoy peaches all year long
Bring on the heat!! We love to combine sweet and spicy, fresh and fiery, and this jam does all of that. This year, for the first time, we opted to plant habanero peppers in the garden instead of our usual jalapenos. So many habaneros meant we had to get creative, and so we decided to make a jam which combines the summer fresh taste of peaches, with the fiery heat of habaneros. And it’s delicious!
One of us got into canning long before Mia Kouppa, and has always enjoyed putting new spins on classic flavour combinations. Once you get the hang of canning the possibilities are endless. Canning is a wonderful way to preserve the bounty of summer, and also a great way to let your creativity soar.
Helpful hints
Canning is not hard, but there is a science behind it. Do your research if you are going to be coming up with your own recipes; processing times, sugar amounts etc… vary depending upon whether you are dealing with an acidic or alkaline food. The recipe listed below is detailed enough to get you safely canning this peach and habanero pepper jam.
It is important to use the best quality and freshest ingredients when making jam. Be sure that your peaches are ripe, unblemished and delicious. The better the fruit, the better the jam will be.
Habanero peppers are super hot. For a while they were listed in the Guiness Book of World Records as the hottest pepper, although that distinction has now gone to a new pepper. We used 3 habaneros for this jam; it gives a very fiery spread. If you’re not sure that you will like that much heat, simply add fewer peppers.
It is always a good idea to wear disposable gloves when handling hot peppers, and to cut them on a paper towel which you will also use to collect the seeds. Even with gloves, it is important to wash your hands well when you are done, as well as the knife you used to cut your habaneros.
We love using spicy jams like this one as appetizers. Spread on a toasted baguette or cracker and then topped with your favourite cheese, this is sure to be a hot favourite!
Looking for some other pretty party appetizers? How about these?
Pin this recipe if you like it
We love hearing from you! If you have made our recipes, or if you have a question or comment, or simply want to say Hi!, please leave a comment below!
Peach and habanero pepper jam
Equipment
- 6 canning jars (250 ml)
- 6 canning snap lids and bands
- canning funnel
- jar lifter
- pot large enough to hold your jars upright
- plastic disposable gloves or dish washing gloves
Ingredients
- 5 peaches
- 2 to 3 habanero peppers see recipe note
- 57 grams fruit pectin powder
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 5 cups granulated sugar
Instructions
To sterilize your jars
- Wash your jars well with warm soapy water; do this even if your jars are new. At this time, check your jars to be sure that they are not cracked, chipped or broken.
- Fill your large canning pot with water and add your jars (without lids). Be sure that they are submerged in the water. Bring to a boil, cover, and then reduce heat to medium. Leave jars in there until you are ready to fill them.
To prepare jam
- Wash your peaches and cut them in half to remove pits. Once the pits are removed, if the area around where the pit was is especially dark, cut it away with a sharp knife. Cut your peaches into chunks. 5 peaches should give you about 5 cups of chopped fruit.
- Prepare your habanero peppers by washing them and then, wearing your disposable or dish washing gloves, cut off the stem. Cut the pepper in half and discards the seeds and inner ribbing. Cut the peppers into smaller pieces.
- Blend the peaches and habanero peppers in a blender until smooth and no chunks remain. You will have to do this in batches.
- Pour your pureed fruit into a large pot and add the lemon juice and fruit pectin. Stir well and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Boil for approximately 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add the sugar to the fruit and stir well to combine. Cook over medium high heat until the mixture comes to a rolling boil. Stir constantly (we like to use a large whisk at this point). Once you have achieved a rolling boil that does not go away even as you are stirring, continue to cook for one more minute.
- Remove fruit from heat. You will notice that you have some foam which has developed on the surface, at the edges of the pot. Using a spoon, skim off the foam.
- Remove your canning jars from the hot water, lifting them carefully using the jar lifter. At this point, place your canning snap lids and bands in a bowl of hot water. We like to transfer some of the water from the large pot into a smaller bowl for this as it makes it easier to then remove the snap lids and bands.
- Place the canning funnel into your jars, one at a time, and use a ladle to fill the jars with the jam (which is still quite liquid at this point). Fill, leaving 1/4 inch space on the top. Repeat with the rest of the jars. You may find that you have only completely filled 5 of your jars and that you have some jam left over, but not enough to completely fill a 6th jar. If this is the case, simply put your excess jam in any container and store it in the refrigerator without processing it.
- Once all of your jars are filled, use a non-metallic spoon (we like to use a wooden coffee stir stick) to remove any air bubbles in your jars. Do this by gently stirring your spoon or stick around in your jar. If doing so leaves you with more than 1/4 inch of head space on the top, add more jam.
- Carefully remove the snap lids and bands from the hot water. Cover your jars with these two pieces and be careful not to over tighten your bands.
- Using your jar lifter, transfer your jars to your large pot which is still filled with hot water. Be careful to keep your jars upright.
- Cover your pot and bring the water to a boil. Boil for 20 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat and remove your jars carefully using your jar lifter. Allow them to rest on a flat surface, undisturbed, for 24 hours. You will hear the popping sound of your jars being sealed. If any of your jars do not seal (meaning you can still press down on the snap lid and feel some give), simply store your jam in the fridge to be used within several weeks.
- Properly processed jars will keep for months, and up to a year, at room temperature. Refrigerate jam after opening.
Leave a Reply