Jam session: Peaches with thyme and almonds

We brought home about ten pounds of the most amazing peaches from our trip last weekend. They were sold by a cute lady straight out of her house, which was surrounded by nothing but orchards and beautiful rolling hills. I would have bought more, but I knew I would have to hold them on my lap the entire drive home since the car was completely stuffed with camping gear, so I limited myself to two flats. I knew they were good because our friends had picked some up on their way there a few days earlier, and we had eaten them all weekend.

Since we arrived back home, I have been busy devouring fresh peaches and figuring out how to preserve the rest of them. The other day I cooked up a batch of peach jam with almonds and lemon thyme, a recipe from Liana Krissoff's fantastic book "Canning for a New Generation". I picked it up a month or so ago, and it's a great, fresh resource on the subject of canning, with a focus on techniques that require less sugar and no commercial pectin. The book is divided by seasons, and has lots and lots of great recipes for preserving fruits and vegetables, as well as ideas for meals that make lovely use of the canned goods, both in the sweet and the savory department.

The peach jam came together beautifully (the recipe has been published here, if you want to give it a try), and I whipped up a batch of crumpets according to this recipe. Together, they are a match made in (breakfast, tea time, or anytime) heaven!