a plethora of peaches

Peach season rolled in like a juggernaut last week. For the past several summers, Grandma K. has placed an order on our behalf with an orchard about 5 minutes from her house for hard-to-find Sunhighs. It's much like Prohibition, this order: you show up and pay when you're told, you take what you get, and you're happy with this arrangement because there aren't many other options if you want this particular variety. And my golly, do you EVER want this particular variety.

Sunhighs are freestones, and when ripe, their skins peel off in big swaths with a couple tugs of a paring knife. They are extremely fragrant and juicy, plenty sweet enough to eat plain. They also make a killer crisp or pie and are sturdy enough to hold their shape if canned or frozen. Finally, they make a knockout spiced peach jam. We made several batches for wedding favors and more than one guest later told us they skeptically popped it open, intending to try a little on a piece of toast, only to devour the whole 4 ounces straight from the jar in one go.

This recipe works well with any variety of freestone peach, but really shines with Sunhighs.

Grandma K's Spiced Peach Jam

• 4 c prepared fruit (about 3 pounds fully ripe peaches)
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (can substitute bottled juice)
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 5 1/2 c sugar (do not skimp on this or the jam won't set)
• 1 box Sure-Jell or other brand of pectin (if using low-sugar variety, read instructions for adjusted sugar amount)
• 1/2 tsp butter or margarine

1. Peel, pit, and finely chop the peaches. If you use a food processor for the "finely chop" part, make sure to leave some visible pieces of peach instead of turning it into a uniform slurry. Measure 4 cups into a 6-8 quart saucepan. Stir in lemon juice and spices.
2. Measure sugar into a separate bowl and set aside.
3. Stir Sure-Jell into fruit. Add butter or margarine. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, then quickly stir in all of the sugar at once. Bring the jam back up to a full rolling bowl for exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and skim off foam with a cold metal spoon.
4. Immediately fill hot, sterilized jars to within 1/8 inch of top. Seal with hot, sterilized lids and rings. Keeping jars level, move each to a rack or a cloth-covered wooden board to cool off and seal. You'll hear the lids pop over the next few hours. (We always sing out a "yay!" when they do this. Feel free to do the same.) If some of the jars don't seal in 3-4 hours, just put them in the refrigerator. They should be good for several months.
5. Do not move the sealed jars for 8-12 hours so the jam has a chance to set well. If the outside of a jars is sticky, remove the ring and gently wash the jar and ring with warm soapy water. Dry well, label, and put in a cool dark place until ready to use.