Peach Plum Jam (Without Refined Sugar)

Why Make This Recipe

Some years, fall comes swiftly, and other years, summer and fall engage in a dance where first one takes the lead and then the other.

This year has felt like that to me, so I have been making summer-into-fall recipes. The easiest way to describe them is using summer fruit with autumn spices like my tomato peach jam.

Or, I’ll use a summer ingredient paired with a fall ingredient and spices like this apple and green tomato chutney.

The beauty of these jams–this peach plum jam included–is that they work for both summer and fall, sweet and savory.

So you can certainly use this jam as a spread on a sandwich, but it’s just as at home served with meatloaf or pork loin.

This particular recipe is quite nice because it doesn’t contain any refined sugar–so no granulated sugar, white or brown.

I also don’t use a granulated sugar substitute since erythritol–a popular sugar substitute–crystallizes upon cooling.

This recipe makes use of coconut nectar and honey as sweeteners.

Since both of these are natural products there is no chance of any weird aftertaste, just pure, natural, sweet goodness.

This jam also gets an herbal note from rosemary, which again pushes it towards savory, even though it isn’t nearly as savory as a chutney.

Another point in this jam’s favor? It’s really easy to make. Everything goes in the pot, gets cooked down, run through a food mill, and done!

How to Make Peach Plum Jam

This is a very straightforward jam to make. Here’s what you’ll need to make it.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• plums: red or black, or substitute pluots or apricots if you prefer. No need to peel, but do remove the pits
• peaches: I like to peel the peaches and slice them away from the pits. A good substitute is nectarines.
• coconut nectar: I have recently found coconut nectar and love it in my morning coffee and am experimenting with it as a sweetener in other recipes. It is an extremely sticky, dark brown syrup made by allowing the sap from coconut trees to evaporate and thicken. This process doesn’t require heating, so this is a relatively unrefined sweetener that has caramel notes and no bitterness, making it lovely for a summer-into-fall jam. Also, it doesn’t taste at all like coconut! You may substitute with additional honey or even use maple syrup. If refined sugar isn’t an issue for you, feel free to use granulated sugar.
• honey: I love honey and fruit together. Use your favorite honey.
• red wine vinegar: balances out the sweet fruit. You may substitute lemon juice instead.
• salt: brings out all the flavors. You only need a touch.
• cinnamon: brings its warm fragrance to the jam
• roasted ginger: has a bit of a deeper flavor than regular ground ginger. Either will work here
• rosemary: Adds a piney, herbal note that plays nicely with the fruit

Procedure

Peach plum jam, like most jams, is very easy to make.

Here’s the rundown for making it:

1. Peel the peaches, slice your fruit, and add to the pot.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients.
3. Bring to a boil and boil until thick and jammy.
4. Run through the medium disc on a food mill (or use an immersion blender or food processory).
5. Cool and enjoy within about 3 weeks.

Equipment You May Need

I generally make small-batch jams. Enough to keep a jar or two and share a jar or two, so I don’t need a ginormous jam pot.

This is my favorite saucier for making jams. I like it because it has a broad surface area so the jam can boil rapidly (and reduce rapidly) and sloped sides that make it easy to stir so nothing sticks.

I also highly recommend picking up a food mill.

While you can get similar results, as far as smoothness goes, using an immersion blender or food processor, the food mill keeps most of the peels out while allowing the soft pulp to pass through the discs.

If you like a smoother jam with a uniform consistency, a food mill is the way to go. It’s great for chai spice apple butter, too!

Tips for Success

One of the biggest tips I can offer is to make sure to remember to scrape the underside of your food mill. A lot of pulp (and flavor) gets stuck there instead of dripping down into a bowl. so give it a good scrape with your spatula to make sure you’re not wasting ingredients.

Note that this collage is not this jam. It’s my tomato jam. But the idea is the same. Always check the underside of your food mill to get all the good stuff!

Jam Q & A

Serving Suggestions

In the photo above, I sandwiched some broiled goat cheese between two rounds of toast and topped it with some of the jam. Highly recommend!

Use this jam as a spread on sprouted grain English muffins or spent grain English muffins.

It would make a spectacular dip for a Monte Cristo sandwich–something a bit different than your standard raspberry jam.

Serve it as a side or glaze for a pork tenderloin.

And this jam would always be a welcome accompaniment to meats and cheeses for a cheese plate or charcuterie board.

A Note About Measurements