Love and Olive Oil

Peach Lavender Jam

Peach Lavender Jam

Be a peach, and make this jam for me, will you? Because it can only be described as delightful.

I’m not usually one for lavender or other floral flavors; they often come across as “perfumy” and I can’t stand that.

But this is subtle. Just enough lavender to give the jam an air of elegance.

Peach Lavender Jam

Whether you’re one of those lucky ones with a yard full of fresh, fragrant lavender, or maybe you have a jar of dried petals that your lovely mother-in-law gave you way back in December and you have yet to use… either way be sure the lavender is organic and/or culinary grade. All lavender is not created equal; the last thing you want is to end up with a potpourri-infused jam.

Peach Lavender Jam

I could see this formula of fruit-plus-floral working well with other combinations. Strawberry rose, perhaps? Or blueberry violet? Orange marmalade and orange blossoms? I’m on a roll here. Or what about blackberry and elderflower, if I were ever to find myself in possession of such delicacies.

I do have to mention the one issue I had with this jam (more than likely, though, it was my fault and not the recipe’s)… is that it is quite loose. I reduced the sugar ever so slightly (I know, shame on me), and followed the instructions for cooked jam on my liquid pectin package (which calls for you to boil for 5 minutes, add pectin, and return to a hard boil for exactly 1 minute). Regardless of the reasons for the soft consistency and where I may have gone wrong, the end result is nothing short of ambrosial.

(Psst! Download the printable labels for this jam here!)

Peach Lavender Jam

Did you make this recipe?

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons dried lavender flowers
1/2 cup boiling water
4 cups finely chopped peaches (from about 5 to 6 medium peaches, peeled)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
6 cups granulated sugar
1 pouch liquid fruit pectin

Directions:

Place lavender flowers in a small bowl. Pour boiling water over flowers and steep for 20 minutes. Strain and discard flowers.

Prepare canner and wash/sterilize 6 half-pint mason (or equivalent) jars. Keep jars in hot (not boiling) water until ready to use. Warm lids in hot (not boiling) water to sterilize and soften seal.

Combine lavender liquid, peaches, lemon juice, and sugar in a very large stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Bring to a full boil over high heat and boil hard for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in pectin.

Ladle hot jam into jars, leaving 1/4-inch of headspace. Wipe jar rims and threads. Screw on lids and rings. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Remove from water and let cool completely, 12 to 24 hours. Check seals. Any unsealed jars should be refrigerated and used within 3 weeks.

Recipe from The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving.

All images and text © / Love & Olive Oil

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54 Comments

  1. I had the same problem as you did, runny jam. It tastes great, the lavender flavor comes through, but I am going to see if I can reboil and reduce it so it sets. I will also use a different pectin next time that doesn’t require so much sugar as it is too sweet for me. 

  2. I finally made it!!!! It came out so good. It said to cook the peaches till it boils about 2 minutes. I cooked it for 10 minutes. Nex time I’ll put 51/2 cups of sugar instead of 6 cups. It was too sweet for me. But it was delicious and easy to make. 3 of my jars didn’t pop, so I’ll keep those for me.

    • So glad you enjoyed! Do be cautious reducing sugar in jam recipes like this one as a specific proportion of sugar is required for the jam to set properly. If you are looking for a lower sugar recipe, check out my ebook (https://www.loveandoliveoil.com/thats-my-jam) where I’ve reworked this recipe to use Pomona’s pectin, which does not rely on sugar to set (that recipe only uses 1 1/2 cups of sugar vs the 6 cups required here).

  3. Mine came out runny too. Did yours ever set? I used powdered pectin.

  4. Hi,

    I am wondering if you would be willing to make this particular jam in quantities of 50 jar? If so, how much would you sell it for? 

    Would I also be cheeky enough to ask for a sample first?

    Thanks,
    Melanie

  5. There is much too much sugar in this recipe. I reduced it by half and it is still cloyingly sweet. Otherwise, lovely. Thanks!

  6. Hopefully mine will taste as good as it looks!!
    Thanks for the wonderful share!

  7. This is my very first time canning any type of thing. I just moved into a new house that has both a peach tree and insane amounts of Lavender, so I had to give this a go, right? I collected my backyard peaches and herbs and went to town. Probably made more of a mess than any one person could possibly achieve but I made the most delicious snack of all time. I’m not generally a huge fan of jams, but this is just the perfect mix of flavors. Runny or not, I’ll still eat it all to my face. Thank you so much for this recipe for my “Yard Jam.” I can’t wait to see what else I can jam-ify.

    Bonus: giving yourself a fresh facial steam with the steeping lavender. Afternoon well spent!

    • This makes me so happy to hear! Lucky you, with a peach tree and lavender growing in your yard! So glad that your first canning experience was a good one, I’m sure it won’t be the last. :)

  8. I never use pectin in my jams. They come out more of a french style. A bit loose, but not jellyish. They are very yummy. Check out http://www.nwedible.com/2012/08/how-to-make-pectin-free-jam.html
    This recipe sounds yummy. I will try it but pectin free the way my grandma taught me

  9. Not much Lavendar taste…just a bit more at room temp. Can I double the Lavendar?

  10. Has anyone tried this with frozen peaches yet?

  11. Lindsy,
    It does have wonderful flavor, (both peaches and lavender are home grown) and I retried the recipe with a hard boil and it did set. So, yes, the first batch will not go to waste, it will just be used for other things like ice-cream and pancakes, and not on my almond butter and Jelly (peach/lavender) on rice cake-snack, because of the obvious. lol.
    Thanks for the reply.
    Marisa

  12. Thanks for the recipe, Lindsay!

  13. I made this jam yesterday and left it overnight to cool. It did not set, so this morning I set out to find others that have made it. This is my first time making a recipe from that book, and my first time using liquid pectin. The jam made 10 jars (rather than the 6 it claims in the recipe), so maybe the peaches were juicier? The liquid pectin package says some jams may take up to 4 days to set. Did yours set over time? Thanks. It is really runny, but has a very nice flavor and the lavender is not overpowering at all.

    • Justine, I am anxious to hear if your jam ever set. I, too, am a little bit concerned that this peach lavender jam is a bit loose or runny. I have about a half-cup leftover in the fridge that appears to be setting up over time, though it is no doubt a bit runny. The other 9 half-pint mason jars are cooling in my pantry. I really hope they set up. I also noticed that the peach pieces appear to have risen to the top in the jars. Interestingly, I also made a regular peach jam. I found a recipe on allrecipes that used powdered pectin, and my results were much better. It was immediately evident that it would set properly, even before it had cooled. Also, the peaches are beautifully suspended throughout the jars. Thinking this might be an issue of liquid versus powdered pectin, I looked for a lavender peach recipe that didn’t require liquid pectin, and I didn’t find one. I hope the lavender-peach jam sets up within the next 48 hours. If not, it will still be a lovely, beautiful addition to stir into greek yogurt. I think I might stick to my thicker, regular peach jam for toast, though. Any ideas, anyone?

    • I too had a runny jam. I have been making jams for years, and with hesitation I followed the recipe. Every recipe I have used liquid pectin, I have had to hard boil it after I put it in for 1 minute. This recipe calls for turning the heat and then putting in the pectin without hard boiling for 1 minute. I am wondering if that is a typo? I think it is.
      The flavor is wonderful, so I am going to use it as a desert topping. I used it on my pancakes this morning. And my husband suggested putting it on vanilla ice cream.
      Also, as with other canning recipes I have gotten off the internet, I wish that the writers would state that if you are above sea level, one has to adjust the processing time. That I believe is a key component to canning and should be written in a side note.
      I was a little disappointed in myself for not following my own intuition and cooking/canning experience and following this recipe, knowing that pectin needs to be cooked at boiling point for one minute after it is put in. This is why inexperienced cooks get disappointed in internet recipes.

    • Marisa –

      I did follow my intuition (as mentioned in the post) and followed the instructions on my liquid pectin pouch. I think everyone who has made this, whatever method, has had the same experience. It’s not liquidy, per say, it’s just softer than your average jam. Refrigerating it definitely helps.

      I have a feeling it just needs to cook longer, period. Bring out more of the natural pectin in the peaches before even adding more.

      That said, I don’t think a drop of this is going to go to waste – the flavor is that good! Set or no set, I still call it a success. :)

  14. Wow, this sounds so good! How nice to make this now and keep it for later in the year as a reminder of summer. Thank you for a great recipe!

  15. This looks and sounds delicious. I added basil and vanilla to my peach preserves this year. Gotta keep mixing things up right?

  16. What a great idea, I am passionate about lavender so I am going to try this jam. Thank you. Have a look at my French Lavender collection here Let me know what you think

  17. Smells amazing…doesn’t it? I love your jar labels – perfect!

  18. Such a nice flavor combo!! Can’t wait to try it!

  19. I’m ready to make my own jam! Thank you for the recipe ideas, particularly the blackberry & elderflower jam flavor. I just returned from Sweden, and I’ve been inspired by the elderflower ever since :D

  20. I seriously need to learn how to make my own jam!

  21. Wow Lindsay, I am in love with this. I can just smell it now! BEAUTIFUL!

  22. This looks just amazing, thanks for sharing!

    xo
    Alison

    heartofgoldandlusury.blogspot.com

  23. Peach and lavender just sounds so decadent!

  24. made your jam this morning*2. 10 jars of jam. nice flavour.

  25. Where did you get the cute labels?

  26. Oh my that looks gorgeous! It’s been a long time since I attempted (and failed) at making jam, but this may have just inspired me to try again. Thank you!

  27. I love making jam, but have never added lavender–cookies, yes. This look lovely and you’ve inspired me to try it. The peaches are wonderful. XOXO

  28. I need to make this for my dear friend that is traveling and will be needing something to miss us with. Thanks for the recipe, just what I needed!

  29. Oh baby, that looks yummy! I love your jams!

  30. Absolutely adore this!! I want to take up canning because of you and all of your wonderful jams!

  31. What wonderful combination and your pictures are beautiful.

  32. Love the presentation!!

  33. I’m a true jam lover, yours looks just damn delicous! I love peaches and the smell of lavender, I’m sure it is perfetly yummy on a slice of bread! Yum breakfast stuff <3

  34. I really dig your fruit plus floral jam concept. I’m making a bunch of batches of jam soon for wedding favors, I’m going to have to keep this in mind.

  35. I love peach jam but I’ve never had it with lavender. Sounds amazing!

  36. anything with peaches in it is something I will definitely enjoy preparing and eating this summer. thanks for the recipe!

  37. Yum! I love peach & lavender together. And “Small-Batch” is one of my favorite canning books ever!

  38. Please can you tell me what I can use in place of the “1 pouch liquid fruit pectin” We dont get that in this country (South Africa) and so I just wondered what the alternative would be, thank you. Love your blog!!

    • You will need pectin of some sort to acheive a jam-like consistency. You could use powdered or another form (follow the jam instructions that come with the pectin), or I believe you can make your own pectin from apples (although I’ve never personally done it).

    • lemon juice can also be used, but I’m not sure of quantities,

    • You could try with powdered agar-agar. Disolve 2 Tbsp in cold water and bring it to the cooking pan when the recipe asks for the pectin, and mix. Keep cooking until the desired consistency.

      Another option would be to add some fruit that naturally has pectin to your recipe (like apples, as Lindsay suggested).

      Although I have made apricot jam (which is low in pectin, the same as peach) and the result was very good. Not jello-like, of course, but it had a dense body (and if you leave chunks of fruit I think it’s even more interesting).

    • Try this one for the ratio of lemon juice:

      http://againstallgrain.com/2012/05/23/homemade-blueberry-preserves-without-pectin/

      I just made this and its seems to have set up nicely.

      I also added the lavender tea such as in the peach recipe.

  39. I have so many peaches & nectarines on my counter right now – this would be the best use for them!

  40. This jam looks fantastic. I really want to try it, but to be honest, I am always deterred by canning. For some reason it makes me really nervous! One of these days, I’ll have to get over it and do it!

  41. I think you have to make those flower infused jams you just mentioned. You can’t leave us hanging. You are, after all, on a roll!

  42. That sounds divine. I am going to have to give it a try. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

  43. I’m really not a jam maker or a canner of any kind. I think one day I will be, especially if you keep posting recipes like this one. Peach and lavender. Mmmmm.

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