Raspberry Peach Jam with Garam Masala

Raspberry Peach Jam with Garam MasalaEvery year, when peach season hits, I get insanely excited. I love them. So much. And we have our favorite stand at the farmers’ market from whom we love to buy peaches each year.

This year, I decided to go a little peach crazy. This ultimately yielded a lovely batch of canned peaches, some homemade Peach + Cinnamon Refrigerator Jam (which I froze), and today’s feature: Raspberry Peach Jam with Garam Masala.

For whatever reason, I have decided one of my goals in life is to come up with as many jam recipes as possible – featuring interesting and exciting fruit/herb/spice blends. This is one such experiment… with quite yummy results.

The recipe is based on one I tried last year (found in a canning issue of Taste of Home magazine), which has been tweaked twice now to get just the right sugar balance and the perfect surprising twist of flavor.

I hope you enjoy it!

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PeachesI like a bit of chunkiness in my jams (so they’re more like preserves). If you like a smoother experience, give the peaches a whirl in the food processor or smoosh them up with a potato masher rather than just dicing them. This recipe yielded 7 half-pints (plus nearly a full half-pint extra I could stick in the fridge and eat right away). If you want to make a smaller amount, just halve it.

Ball Water Bath CannerAlso! This recipe calls for processing in a canner. I used a hot process method with a water bath canner. If you need canning tips, you can find great info at the Ball® Home Canning site. I’ll also follow up with more info later this month with tips and detailed steps!

5 1/3 cup peaches, diced
3 cups raspberries (fresh or frozen)
4 cups sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp garam masala

  1. Peel your peaches. The easiest way to do this is to wash them, score them (cut a little “x” on the bottom with a knife), and throw them in boiling water for 30-60 seconds. Remove them with tongs or a spoon and put them directly into cold water. Once they’ve sat for 10 seconds or so, you can easily peel the skin off and you’re left with lovely exposed peachiness!
  2. Dice (or smash/puree) your peaches and add to a dutch oven or large pot.
  3. Add your raspberries, sugar, lemon juice, and garam masala to the pot as well.
  4. Over low heat, cook the ingredients, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved, the raspberries are breaking down into little bright-red bits, and the mixture is bubbly but not boiling. This takes about 10 minutes.
  5. Raise your heat and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Allow it to boil on full for 15 minutes. Once done, skim the foam from the top using a spoon (just scoop it out and toss it in the sink).
  6. Turn off your heat and carefully ladle the hot jam into your prepared “hot” jars (i.e., they are sterilized and have been heated with boiling water). Leave 1/4 inch headspace (this means 1/4 inch of room at the top).
  7. Remove any air bubbles (chopsticks are great for this!), wipe the rims with a clean cloth, and place/adjust your lids.
  8. Once you’ve got your bands on (the ring that holds the lid to the jar), process in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes. This enables your jam to last up to a year on the shelf!

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