Toast Topper #25: Strawberry - Peach Jam

One of my favourite things about the summer is the abundance of sweet, local fruit. When I'm on my game (not so much this year!) I hit the farmer's markets from the day they open, scooping up any and all berries, peaches, apricots and cherries I can get my (freshly washed) hands on along with our ever-present vegetable haul. Some fruit gets eaten right away (and by that, I mean before we get home!), some of it fills our lunches through the week, and the rest of it I process and freeze on sheet trays for later snacking and jamming. By freezing throughout the year, I can cook with combinations of fruit regardless of the season. Whether I'm adding July blueberries to October applesauce, my mom is making a raspberry compote for her March birthday cake or I'm blending peak August peaches with late May strawberries for jams like this one, the flexibility and convenience is definitely appreciated. Besides, it's hard to beat the price or nutrition of local, seasonal fruit... especially since our growing season is so short compared to the south/western US and tropical countries, where most of our supermarket produce comes from.

But when I have it all ready to go in the freezer, prime sweetness is mine for the taking! With my latest jam I combined the sticky sweetness of Niagara peaches, frozen strawberries from two towns over (frozen in May) and local honey for a brilliant pink concoction, then spiked it with a shot of peach schnapps for good measure! The only crystalline sugar I used was a few tablespoons to dissolve the pectin, since the Pomona's version I used didn't have any fillers to ensure even distribution through the fruit (and nobody likes lumps of pectin on their morning toast!). Smeared onto a toasted heel of bread, it was everything about the warm weather that I (and my mom) love... I can only imagine how delicious it would be spread between layers of limey sponge cake!

Strawberry - Peach Jam
Makes 1 pint, 16 (2-tbsp) servings
2 cups halved strawberries
1 ½ cups peeled, diced peaches
⅓ cup honey
2 tbsp peach schnapps
2 tsp calcium water (from Pomona's pectin)
2 tbsp superfine sugar
2 tsp Pomona's pectin

1. In a saucepan, combine the strawberries, peaches, and honey.
2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, until berries and peaches begin to break down.
3. Stir in the schnapps and calcium water and bring back to a boil.
4. Whisk the sugar and pectin together and add to the boiling liquid.
5. Boil, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
6. Can 10 minutes in a waterbath or spoon into a jar and refrigerate.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 43.0
Total Fat: 0.1 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 0.4 mg
Total Carbs: 10.5 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.8 g
Protein: 0.3 g