Spicy Peach Microwave Jam

Making jam doesn't have to be hard and after some research on alternative methods that don't involve boiling jars, I learned that you can make jam in the microwave.

This recipe is a play off of Trader Joe's Spicy Peach Salsa, which used to be one of my favorite salsas. I also eat a lot of red pepper jelly and thought this would be a nice change. It's a fantastic topping on brie, bread, and crackers and makes a great inexpensive treat for a party or DIY wedding.

4-7 peaches

2 jalapenos

1/2 red peper

1 lime

1/4 cup sugar (to taste)

pectin *optional*

This particular batch made a little more than 1/2 pint of jam.

The easiest way to peel peaches is to blanch them first. Boil a pot of hot water and add the peaches for 1 minute, then shock the peaches with cold water.

After peeling your peaches, remove the seed and stem, and chop them up. You can also put the peaches in a food processor or mash them if you don't mind chunks.

Put the chopped peaches into a large microwave safe bowl.

Dice both the red pepper and the jalapenos into fine pieces. Add to the bowl with the peaches.

Add 1/2-1 of fresh lime juice and 1/4 cup of sugar. It's better to start with a small amount of sugar and add more if you need it. I found this batch of peaches to be VERY sweet and didn't need more than 1/3 cup.

Add the pectin and mix everything together.

I want to avoid a potential explosion of peach, so I microwaved the peach mix in 5-8 minute intervals until I started to get a syrupy consistency. This took about 20 minutes.

The pictures above show the fresh peach mix, after 6 minutes of cooking, and after 20 minutes of cooking.

Once you are satisfied with the consistency of the jam, remove the bowl to the counter and allow to cool for a bit. As the mix cools it will gel up.

When you are ready, transfer the peach mix to canning jars. When the mix is completely cooled, move to the fridge and keep in airtight containers for 3-4 weeks.