Ingredients
- 3 lbs peeled and crushed peaches (refer back to my Peach Salsa recipe to learn how to peel them easily)
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 7 1/2 cups sugar
- 5 large sprigs lavender (don’t chop; leave whole) plus more for adding to the jars if desired
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 3 ounce pouch liquid pectin
Preparation
Step 1
In a large heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the peaches, lavender and half the sugar. Cover the pan and let sit for about 2 hours, stirring frequently to infuse the Lavender flavor throughout.
Remove the cover. Stir in the remaining sugar, the butter and the extracts.
Over medium low heat, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar.
When sugar is completely dissolved, turn heat up to medium high and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil (a boil that can NOT be stirred down), stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat and skim off any foam (a ladle works best for this)
Return the pan to the heat and again bring to a full rolling boil. Stir in the contents of the pouch of pectin. Again return to a full boil, stirring constantly. Boil for one minute and then remove the pan from the heat. Skim off any foam.
To prevent the jam from separating, allow it to cool for five minutes, stirring every minute to help distribute the peaches evenly. Ladle the jam into hot sterilized jars, leaving a 1/4 inch head space and adding a small sprig of Lavender to the jars if desired. Make sure to wipe the rims well with a clean cloth. Apply the lids and boil for ten minutes in a boiling water bath. The recipe said that this made 8 half pints but I actually got 11 out of it.