I’ve been working on a salad* recipe to share here, but this summer has not felt like a good time to test salads. On this rainy August morning, I realized I had some very very ripe peaches and decided to make something with them instead. (*Gervase Markham’s “Compound Sallet” to be precise. Learn more about it here.)

As I searched my recipe notes, I came across a recipe “To preserve peaches” in Bodleian Libraries, MS Rawl. C.81. I transcribed it during a research appointment back in July 2022 because it sounded delicious and it still sounded excellent this morning. MS Rawl. C.81 has a few sections including a “Recipe collection bearing the ownership note of Dorothy Hudson (1629)”

Doritie hudson hir Booke
of resartte ffor salfes
and medessenes September
the 23: 1629 (62r)

Even though Dorothy Hudson calls her recipe book medicinal in this initial inscription (medessenes), receipts for preserved peaches, pomegranates, and rose petals fill the opening pages. Preserved fruits and flowers can preserve health as well as delight the palate with the flavors of spring and summer all year long.

Original Recipe

To preserve peaches
Take the peaches & pare them & then wa[y]
the peaches and put to every pound of peache[s]
a pound of sugar and sett yt on the ffyer &
lett yt boyle and skume yt and when yt is a
little boylled put in the peaches and lett yt boyle
till yt be as a sirrope and then take yt of th[e]
ffyer and put in a ffewe cloues and soe le[t]
yt stand till yt be could and then put yt
in a glase or potte. (64v)

This is a classic fruit preserve recipe that uses equal parts fruit and sugar (as well as water). First you prepare a sugar syrup and then you add your peeled and cut fruit to cook. The addition of cloves at the very end is especially curious as whole spices are often added earlier in the cooking process.

Updated Recipe

This recipe makes about a cup of jam. It should be easy to make a larger batch as long as you adjust the amount of sugar and water depending on the weight of your peaches and increase the number of cloves.

1 cup (175 grams) peaches
3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons (scant 1 cup, 175 grams) sugar
1 cup water
3 cloves

Put a small plate in your freezer. Prepare a storage jar. If it is not fresh from the dishwasher, rinse it with boiling water.

Peel your peaches, remove their pits, and cut them into slices or chunks. (You can weigh your peaches and adjust the proportions of peaches, sugar, and water at this stage.)

Put the sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan. If you’re using a candy thermometer, affix it to the side of the pot. Cook this simple syrup until the mixture is bubbling and the temperature reaches 210°F/100°C.

Add the peaches and stir intermittently so that they cook and break down, but do not burn. Cook the peaches until the preserve reaches 240°F/115°C and/or when you run a spoon along the bottom of the pan the fruit does not immediately flood the space again. (My total cooking time was 10 minutes, but this will vary.) As your preserve nears temperature or the spoon parts it more effectively, put 1 teaspoon on the freezer plate and let sit for 30 seconds. If the preserve holds its shape when you tilt the plate, it has set. If the preserve is browning quickly or looks set before the temperature reaches 240°F/115°C, try the plate test earlier.

Remove the preserve from the stovetop. Add the cloves to the pot and stir well. Let the jam sit and cool. Stir it occasionally so that the cloves circulate through the sugary fruit. (My preserves cooled in 25 minutes.)

Transfer the jam in to your prepared jar. Store this small-batch preserve in the refrigerator and consume within two weeks. You can extend the life of your jam by properly canning it or by freezing it

The Results

Cloves and peaches are a brilliant combination. The warming spice holds up against the sharp sweetness of the stone fruit and sugar. The preserve is delicious right off the spoon and even better paired with a slice of toast. I enjoyed it on a hearty, dense rye bread.

Next time I make this, I might cut the peaches into smaller chunks before cooking them and I might also cook them for 8 minutes instead of 10. I think this batch went a bit to amber while I was doing the plate test. All of that said, I’m glad I’ve captured this tiny bit of August sunshine in a jar.