Peaches, green chiles and habanero peppers make this spicy, Green Chile Peach jam – perfect on morning toast, or served over cream cheese with crackers!
The early parts of September mark the beginnings of fall weather and cooler temps in many places around the U.S. But here in the desert Southwest, it means something different…
Hatch chiles
The first weekend in September marks the start of Hatch Chile season in New Mexico. It’s a time when the scent of roasted hatch chiles wafts through the air in a little town called Hatch.
New Mexico celebrates the deliciously spicy Hatch Chile with their annual Hatch Chile festival the first weekend in September – right around Labor Day. It’s a weekend that’s full of events that pay tribute to the Chile that makes the town flourish.
Yum – roasted chiles
The smell of roasted chiles fills the air in this little town, and little towns all over Arizona and New Mexico as people stand by to purchase bags of roasted green chiles. You can even smell the chiles when you drive into town there in Hatch – miles away from the Chile festival.
The festival sprawls out on a wide open space of field with people who come from near and fear to celebrate the delicious Hatch Chile. It’s so much fun to see the bands and participate in the festivities!
I brought back several bags of Hatch chiles from that trip, and the smell of chiles permeated the truck the entire six hour ride home. It was fabulous.
Green Chile Peach Jam
While that trip was a few men years ago, I have always been eager to pick up Hatch chiles in the store every fall to roast on the grill at home.
I love using Hatch chiles to make this spicy Hatch Chile Relish. But equally as good is this Red Raspberry Green Chile Jam. This jam, however, combines peaches with green chiles, and a few habanero peppers to make this kicked up jam with lots of flavor.
Not to mention it’s simple to make as well. First, toss on some gloves. Then, rinse the peaches and peppers. Remove the stem and seeds of the peppers and toss them in the food processor. Keep the skin on the peaches and remove the pitts. Dice the peaches and add them to the food processor too.
Puree the peaches and peppers until they are all broken down. Dump that mess into a heavy bottom pot, add your lemon juice and pectin and bring to a boil. Once boiling, immediately add sugar. Stir continually as you bring that mixture to a full rolling boil for at least one minute – the temperature should reach 220 degrees F.
Ladle the jam into hot, prepared jars. Place the lids on the jars and tighten the rings until they are finger-tip tight.
Bring your water bath canner to a boil on the stove top. Then process the jars for 10 minutes in the hot water bat. Once done, remove and allow the jars to cool and the jam to set. The jam may take a few hours to set so be patient!
This recipe makes four pints of Green Chile Peach Jam that you can gift to friends and family. Enjoy this jam many different ways..
- Served next to your beef or chicken as a condiment
- Spread it on your sourdough bread or sourdough English muffins
- Dump it over a block of cream cheese and spread on toasted bread
For an even spicier jam, add a few jalapeños or habanero peppers for extra zing.
Green Chile Peach Jam
Equipment
- Water Bath Canner
- heavy bottom pot
- pint canning jars, lids and bands
Ingredients
- 7 peaches pit removed, diced
- 8 Hatch green chiles stem and seeds removed
- 2 habanero peppers stem and seeds removed
- 1 C water
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 5 C granulated sugar
- 1 pkg dry pectin 1 3/4 oz.
Instructions
- Combine peaches, habanero peppers and green chiles in the food processer and puree until broken down.
- Add the peaches, habanero peppers, green chiles, water, and lemon juice in an 8 quart non-stick heavy bottom pot.
- Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly.
- Add sugar all at once.
- Return mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.
- Boil hard for one minute, jam should be at a temp of 220 degrees F.
- Remove from heat. Ladle into hot pint-size jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. Place lids on jars, and screw on bands fingertip-tight.
- Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes, adjusting the processing time for larger jars or elevation, as necessary.
- Remove from hot water bath and allow to cool. You should hear the lids pop as the jars seal.
Notes
- For even more kick, add additional habanero peppers. Make sure you wear gloves before removing the stem and seeds.
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