Vanilla Spiced Peach Jam - Oh My!!!

Going through the orchards on the way home from Sacramento one weekend, we stopped and bought a big load of peaches. I knew I wanted to make some jam with them. So when I searched online to find a recipe, I came upon this one. But first, I made a few adjustments. It called for a cinnamon stick to be stewed in the brew. I didn't have any sticks but I knew I wanted to add a vanilla bean, so that was it. Add the vanilla bean and add regular cinnamon instead of the stick.

The Spice

Even the Hubby was seen slathering it on a flaky roll. That's when I knew it wasn't just me who thought it was pretty darn good. But the non jam man thought so to.

My only complaint was that it only made 4 jars and we have already gone through 1. It taste like a peach cobbler without the crust. I seriously thought about putting it on some ice cream.

It's that good!

If canning is your thing, or you have been thinking about trying it, I encourage you to try this. It's not hard at all to actually can the jam. It's just a few easy steps. And you will have summer peach taste all through the cold hard winter.

Click on picture to enlarge

Can you see the vanilla specks?

O.K. so they are hard to see in the picture.

But can you smell it?

Mmmmm!

Vanilla Spice Peach Jam

Adapted from RecipeZarr

1 Vanilla bean, split
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 cups sugar
2 1/2 lbs peaches, peeled and chopped (about 6 cups)
Directions
1 Place all ingredients in a heavy large pot; stir to combine. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Boil, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes, adjusting heat as necessary to maintain an even boil.
2 While the mixture boils, mash fruit with a potato masher to desired consistency. Boil an additional 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, or until slightly thickened (you'll see the bottom of the pot when stirring) and set.** (Temperature should be about 221 F.) Remove from heat; remove vanilla bean.
3 Pour hot jam into 4 sterilized 8-oz. jars. Carefully wipe jar rims; cover. (Jam can be made up to 1 month ahead and refigerated or up to 6 months ahead and frozen.) To store at room temperature, immediately process in a boiling water bath for 5 five minutes.
4Tips: * To peel peaches, drop peaches into larg pot of boiling water; boil 30 seconds or until peach skins loosen. Remove with slotted spoon; drop into ice water to cool. Use a knife to peel away skins.
5** To test jam, before you begin cooking, place a small plate into the freezer to chill. When jam begins to thicken slightly, place a small amount of jam on chilled plate; return to freezer for 1 to 2 minutes (remove jam from heat during testing time). When set, jam will be slightly set and will not run on plate. If jam is too liquid, cook an addition 1 to 2 minutes before testing again.

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