I’ve always been slightly fascinated with the idea of canning…imagine being able to keep fruits and veggies safe to eat for months and months until one wintry day you decide, hey I’d like to eat those tomatoes from last summer…and you can! Well, I’m also equally slightly scared of the prospect. What if you don’t seal it right and you end up with some horrible stomach bug! So you can see why although canning is a very interesting concept I’m not too quick to jump on that bandwagon. My friend Jessica bought me some adorable labels to put on the jars of garden-fresh goodness I put through the canning process this summer, so I figured I’d better do something with them! Now jam is a much easier and less stomach-bug possibly inducing idea.

©EverydayCookingAdventures 2013

Last summer my mom and I made a really delicious blueberry jam that I will no doubt make again this summer and post on here. So when I was perusing my recent copy of Martha Stewart Living and saw this pretty purple jam in a mason jar, I thought I might aw well give this one a try. The sweet smells of fruit and sugar wafted all through my kitchen while making this, which I took as a positive sign I could really make this happen. Watch the pot carefully while it boils because I started to sniff a little burnt sugar smell and immediately turned down the heat to medium so it didn’t burn up. It might have been because I made a smaller batch than the recipe called for but figured I share my almost recipe ruining moment to help prevent your own!

When it was all done I used a potato masher to make the fruit bits a bit smaller and since they were so soft only a couple mashes did the job nicely. I then let it cool on the stovetop and poured it into my mason jars with the pretty canning stickers that Jessica bought me! So cute! I had one little taste before putting it in the jar and oh my was it good!! It was sweet but not cloying. It was darker than Martha’s (more brown than purple) but hey it still tasted great. I popped it in the fridge to really get cold, but I can’t wait to spread it on some toast tonight or tomorrow morning. This really was simple and I am sure that if I can do it, any of you can too! Here’s my jam: #marthastewart

Peach and Plum Jam©EverydayCookingAdventures 2013

Peach-and-Plum Jam

Martha Stewart Living, June 2013

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Makes about 2 pints

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds ripe or overripe peaches
1 1/2 pounds ripe or overripe red plums
2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons water
2/3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus more if desired
Pinch of coarse salt

Directions

1. Pit peaches and plums and coarsely chop into pieces slightly smaller than 1/2 inch.

2. Combine fruit, sugar, water, lemon juice, and salt in a heavy-bottomed pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil (do not stir) until mixture begins to thicken, about 18 minutes.

3. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture is thickened and jamlike, about 30 minutes. Add more lemon juice to taste, then let cool completely.

Cook’s Note: Jam can be stored in refrigerator in airtight containers or jam jars up to 2 months.

© 2013 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. All rights reserved.