Peaches and Cardamom Preserves

So, about that case of peaches. I have made a discovery. I'm sure it's not totally new, I'm sure that I'm re-inventing the wheel here, but peaches... were MADE for cardamom. I'm in love with this jam. It started on a whim. I made a nice big batch of peaches and honey preserves, nothing special, just the recipe inside the Pomona Pectin box. Really nice and sweet. But my canner only holds 12 jam jars at a time, so while I was processing the first batch of filled jars, I decided to throw a bit of cardamom in the pot of left-overs. I had a jar rattling around in the spice cabinet, bought for gluten free pepparkakor cookie experimentation (which I still haven't gotten quite right). Why not, right? It smelled nice together, and I really do love cardamom.

Holy cow. Yum. Like, galactic yum. I'm eating this stuff out of the pot with a spoon. I'm going to have to develop a decent gluten free shortbread cookie recipe JUST to showcase this jam. I think you get the drift here, I'm a fan. And to top it all off, it's easy to make.

I blanch my (very ripe) peaches in hot water, until the skins just started to flake, then dump them into cold water in the sink. At that point, you can just rub the skins right off. Easy peezy. I remove the pit, chop them into large chunks, put them all into a large bowl, and just give them a few squashes with a potato masher. My mom likes her peach preserves with nice-sized chunks in it, so that's what I make. If you like it smooth, run it through the food processor or use an immersion blender. Just make sure that you measure it after you mash it.

Peaches and Cardamom Preserves

3 cups Lightly Mashed Peaches (peeled and pitted)

¾ cup Honey

3 Tbsp Lemon Juice

1 Tbsp Calcium Water

3/4 Tbsp Pomona Pectin

3/8 tsp Cardamom

Sterilize 4 half pint jars, lids and bands.

Mix honey and pectin thoroughly in a bowl.

Bring peaches, lemon juice, cardamom, and calcium water to a boil in a large pot.

Mix honey-pectin into peaches, and stir to dissolve pectin.

Bring mixture back to a boil, then remove from heat.

Ladle hot preserves into hot jars, leaving ¼ inch head space.

Cover each jar as filled, and tighten bands.

Process jars in hot water bath canner with the lid on for 10 minutes (15 for high altitude).

Remove canner lid, and let jars sit in open canner for 5 minutes.

Remove jars and place on cooling rack.

Let sit undisturbed for 12 hours. Check seals before storing.

Remember, can at your own risk.