It’s August in East Hampton and if ever there was a time to make this Peach Melon Almond jam it’s now. Peaches are at their height, the perfect partner for the translucent nuggets of ripe cantaloupe in this jewel-toned beauty of a jam. 
Yesterday a discerning friend proclaimed “The best jam I’ve ever had, hands down.”
So what are you waiting for?
Recipe
2 1/2 lbs. peaches, peeled, pitted, and cut into small chunks
3 lbs. cantaloupe melon, seeds removed and cut into chunks slightly larger than the peach pieces
(This should yield 4 lbs. of prepared fruit.)
7 cups sugar
1 cup sliced almonds
3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
pinch of ground ginger
1 3 oz. pouch of Certo pectin.
1. In a large, non-reactive bowl pour the 7 cups of sugar over the fruit, cover with a dish towel, and let sit over out overnight.
2. Put the fruit and the syrupy liquid in a generously sized pot. Add the almonds, lemon juice and ginger. Heat over medium high heat until it boils. Stay close and stir as it heats up.
3. Cook the jam at a low boil for 20 minutes, stirring all the while to keep from scorching and boiling over.
4. After 20 minutes, bring it back up to full boil and add the pouch of Certo. Continue to boil for another full minute.
5. Remove from heat; ladle into prepared jars, and process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes. (This link to Fresh Preserving explains how to do all this.)
6. Remove jars from water and set on the counter to cool. If all the nuts have floated to the top of the jars, turn them over once or twice as they cool to distribute the nuts more evenly.
This jam is particularly good on Greek yogurt, as shown here.
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