Refrigerator Jam

Refrigerator Jam is just another reason that I have serious love for the $1.00 fruit bin at my market this time of year. It’s full of all sorts of amazing fruit that doesn’t look perfect but is perfect for making sauces, jams, purees, etc. This week, I bought two huge bags of past their prime peaches and one box of almost perfect raspberries for $3.00. I then threw them in a pot with a little water and a little more sugar and they cooked down while I made dinner, ate dinner and watched a movie with Marc. Right before bed, the jam was ready. I stuck it in the fridge and didn’t even bother to preserve it. I trust us to eat the Refrigerator Jam before it goes bad.

3 pounds fruit that’s seen better days
1 cup sugar
¼ cup water (omit if the peaches are so juicy that there’s liquid in the bottom of the pot)
1+ tablespoons lemon juice
seeds from 4 cardamom pods

Rinse the fruit and remove the stones. Cut away any parts of the fruit that are molding. Keep the bruises and the skins. There’s nothing wrong with those parts for a rustic fruity jam. You can make this with any fruit but you need to taste the fruit before you decide how much sugar to add. This one was white peaches and raspberries, but two weeks ago was apricots. Both of these jams were low on the need to add sugar. Chunk up the fruit and throw the sugar, fruit, water, and spices into the pot. Cook on a medium low to low temperature covered for about 30 minutes to steam soften the fruit a bit. Then remove the cover to let it cook the extra water out. I really did cook it for 2-3 hours in total at a low temperature. When it reaches the consistency you favor, remove from heat and let it cool. Place it in the refrigerator and use within a couple of weeks. Not only will this be the best jam you’ve ever had, but with all the money you saved on almost free jam, you can afford the expensive cheese I’m gonna recommend you pair it with on my next post. Spoiler alert: Robbiola French Toast.