Basil, Peach & Tomato Jam

Hear me out - this sounds as if it might not go together, but as Steph pronounced when she tasted it, this recipe is like summer in a jar! Sweet, savoury, and a hint of spice makes this recipe pair well with cheeses ...smear it over goat cheese on fresh sourdough like I did, or add to a snack, cheese or charcuterie board!

Usually I like to sub honey into all my recipes, but this time I decided to use part of the recommended white sugar and added a little brown sugar as well. The brown sugar may have added a tiny bit of depth to the flavour, but if I make this again next year, I'll make the swap to honey!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb (about 4 medium) ripe tomatoes
• 1/2 lb (about 3 medium) peaches (I used some of our seedling peach crop of 2025)
• 3/4 cup sugar (I did 1/4 white and 1/2 brown)
• 2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
• 1 TBSP grated fresh ginger (or frozen - I like freezing ginger because it grates really well from frozen!)
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes ( I could sub in fresh jalapeños next time, I imagine!)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp finely ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil (***DO NOT CHOP until just before using, otherwise the basil will turn brown)

Steps:

1. First, blanch your tomatoes to remove the skins. If you don't have a designated blanching pot set, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Assemble a bowl of icy water nearby, or put that into your kitchen sink. Using a slotted spoon, plunge the tomatoes into the hot water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, then into the icy water. The skins should be loose enough to peel off after 30-35 seconds blanching in my experience, but you can do it longer or repeat the blanch if skins are being tricksy. Of course, allow them to cool to a handle-able temp in the ice water before you peel off the skins!
2. Once cooled, core and cut your peeled tomatoes into 1 or 2 inch cubes.  The original recipe suggested removing the seeds, but mine were pretty beefy tomatoes and I just used all of them.
3. Now, if desired, peel your peaches. I didn't, and my jam still turned out great + more fiber that way (do wash them first before peeling or using with skins on)! Cut your peaches into 1 or 2 inch cubes. 
4. Combine the tomatoes, peaches and all spices - except the basil - in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Then reduce to medium heat and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally for about 1 hour until the mixture is jammy in consistency. 
5. Remove from heat and stir in chopped basil. Hot pack in a sterile canning jar, or allow the jam to cool and transfer it to a 1 pint mason jar for fridge storage.  **I did a triple batch of this and hot-packed it for longer-term storage. The sugar, added acid of ACV + higher acidity of tomatoes and peaches make it a recipe than can be safely hot-packed if desired. 

Notes:

It really did make all the difference waiting to chop and add the basil until right after I turned off the burner - the basil still holds some green in the jars of jam when done this way.

With regards to substituting honey for the sugar, here's what I will try in the future: 1/2c honey rather than 3/4 cup, and because honey burns more easily than sugar I would add it after warming the rest of the ingredients to ensure it isn't against the bottom of the pan during the initial heating. Since it is also adding more water to the recipe, I would expect to simmer it down for an extra half-hour and with the higher sensitivity to burning I'd stir more regularly than with the sugar version.

I'm quite please with the end result of this recipe trial, and am looking forward to using my jam with a variety of things - eggs on toast was suggested in the original recipe, as well as burgers, toasted baguette, etc. It's a perfectly versatile and unique jam!