Nectarine Jam for Winter
Delicious, a little unexpected, and wonderfully fragrant! This nectarine jam is a quick, simple way to put up a treat that will brighten the long cold evenings ahead. It's cooked in stages, which keeps the fruit pieces whole and intact instead of cooking them down to mush.
Cooking method
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Step 1:
How do you make nectarine jam for winter? Start by gathering your ingredients. Choose firm fruit, with no bruised or spoiled spots. Wash the nectarines well and cut them in half. Remove the pit and cut each half in half again, trimming away the bit of flesh where the pit sat.
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Step 2:
Cut the nectarines into cubes and put them in a large, wide bowl or pan.
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Step 3:
Sprinkle the sugar over the nectarines and toss so it's evenly distributed among the pieces. Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and let it sit for a few hours so the nectarines release their juice. I usually cut them in the evening and leave them overnight.
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Step 4:
Set the bowl over the heat and bring to a boil. Simmer the nectarines for 2–3 minutes, then turn off the heat and let them cool completely.
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Step 5:
Scoop the cooled nectarines out with a slotted spoon into another bowl and set them aside.
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Step 6:
Bring the remaining syrup to a boil and cook for 40–50 minutes, until it reduces and thickens. Stir in a little citric acid — it cuts the cloying sweetness and acts as an extra preservative for storage.
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Step 7:
Return the nectarine pieces to the syrup and bring everything back to a boil. Cook for 3–5 minutes, skimming off any foam that rises to the top with a slotted spoon.
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Step 8:
Ladle the finished jam into sterilized jars and seal with sterile lids. Turn the jars upside down, wrap them in a towel or blanket, and let them cool completely — this gives the lids an extra round of sterilizing. Store the jam in a cool, dry place. Enjoy with a cup of tea all winter long!
- I'll say up front that the amount of sugar is flexible and depends on how sweet your nectarines are. The first time I made this jam, I followed the recipe exactly and ended up with something so sugary it drowned out the nectarine flavor entirely. Lesson learned — now I use noticeably less sugar. You can cut the nectarines into wedges instead of cubes, whatever you prefer. And you don't have to reduce the syrup for so long; you can simply boil the jam for about 7 minutes and jar it up. But I like the liquid part of my jam thick, so I reduce the syrup like this for every kind of jam I make.
- Instead of sugar, you can use a sweetener that holds up to heat.
Caloric content of the products possible in the composition of the dish
- Granulated sugar - 398 kcal/100g
- Sugar - 398 kcal/100g
- Citric acid - 0 kcal/100g
- Nectarine - 48 kcal/100g
