They arrived in a box and I placed them in a red and green basket on the counter for one day. Then, I got to work peeling and slicing, half one day and half the next. First, I prepared a batch of freezer jam, yielding approximately six pints, four for us and two to gift. Then, I whipped up a batch of peach pie filling, two quarts of pie filling for two pies which I froze and enough left over to make one small pie to devour today.
I try to plan ahead in my cooking as I have time and this varies year to year and season to season. I make my best attempts to stock the larder and ease the burden of cooking down the road. I like having freezer jam or pie filling on hand and ready for unexpected guests. Or, for when the house is about to be full over the holidays but life has been crazy, and I haven't had time to get ready as I would like. Or, for a last minute gift for a friend who needs a lift or a token of appreciation. Don't get me wrong, I serve numerous meals and gift plenty of food that didn't come from my kitchen, too. I simply aspire to prepare what I can and let go of the rest.
Let me recommend Freezer Jam as a homemade staple at your house -- so simple, so versatile, so delicious. The hardest part is the peeling and chopping with stone fruits, but I turn on the radio or a a podcast and the time passes quickly. Better yet, employ some helpers and you will be done in no time. If you make a berry freezer jam, the prep work is lessened considerably.
Freezer Jam
5 cups peeled, pitted, sliced and crushed plums, peaches or nectarines (about 3 pounds) or 5 cups crushed berries (about 2 1/2 pounds)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1-2 lemons, depending on size)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup (1.75 ounces) powdered, instant, low-sugar pectin
- Sterilize 3 pint-sized plastic freezer containers or glass jars with tight-fitting lids.
- In a large pot, combine fruit and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- In a bowl, whisk together sugar and pectin; add to fruit, stirring until sugar mixture dissolves and fruit returns to a full rolling boil. Boil 1 minute; then, remove from heat.
- Transfer to containers or jars, leaving a 1/2-inch head space. Seal and let sit at room temperature until jam is set or 2 to 3 hours.
- Freeze for up to 6 months.
Yield: 3 pints jam
For full disclosure, I also left about a dozen peaches out to be enjoyed fresh. The peaches are so good right now that a big bite right down to the pit nearly melts in your mouth and drips down your chin. As a result, I eat one right over the kitchen sink nearly every day, making such a mess that my hands are coated in peach juice by the time I am done. I extol the virtues of fresh fruit for my health, but eating peaches just harvested and straight from the farm is nothing less than a gift to one's taste buds. If food tasted this good every day of the year, we wouldn't appreciate the gift; I simply wish I could share this gift with everyone! In the dead of winter, Freezer Jam will keep you holding on and will remind you of what is to come once again in just a few months. So worth it.
