Yes, I did Melly - half light brown sugar added to the peaches, the other half of the sugar is cane sugar added to the pan. Used the last of the bottle of Frangelico, just barely 6 oz, in place of the rum. Like you said about the peaches, the nectarines were sorry but the jam is fantastic. I figured the Frangelico being hazelnut would do the same thing for nectarines that almond does for peaches. I made your Peach Vanilla Almond (no beans) Jam today, with clear vanilla extract (1 tsp) and almond extract (1/2 tsp) added at the end. I got 6 8-oz jars, plus a half dozen chunks and some syrup left in the pan. I had boiled the pits (some not quite ripe so chunks left on the pits) and peels, planning to make the Peach Honey or syrup, but had 4C of juice so decided to put that in the pan with a small slice of ginger and a quart of frozen (thawed) blackberries from last year, pulled some berries out after heating to dissolve the sugar, used the same "French plunge" method adding the reserved berries after the syrup was almost gelled. I'm not sure I have a good set, and most of the fruit ended up in the first 4 jars (I got 5), and it's floating, but I'm calling it "Preserves" if it doesn't set hard. I got another 2 jars of "jelly" (or syrup?) I processed and then another almost 12 oz (10 oz?) I put in the fridge and boy it tastes yummy. Not bad for 4 lbs of peaches and a quart of berries (and 10C of sugar, and all day)! The jelly is such a beautiful color (except for a stray seed here and there) that I think next time I'm just going to add blackberry juice instead of whole berries and see whether that has enough pectin to make the peach juice set. I really prefer the taste of no-pectin preserves. Next time I have peaches, I'm thinking of trying the Helen Witty Peach-Rum Jam. Just had to have something the kids could eat this time since DD was the one who insisted I buy 6 lbs of peaches at the orchard this week ;-) Thanks for the recipe!

As a bit of an aside, you mention that there are a couple fruits that are low enough in acidity to pose a potential problems. Blackberries aren't one of them ... but which fruits should we be watching out for? In addition to the fruits Carol listed the only other ones I can think of off-hand is windfall apples. They too require additional acid. Then there is any of the pepper jams since peppers are low-acid. Dave

Lots of good stuff here! Zabby, the blueberry-lavendar jelly sounds great. Must give that a try. And Daisy, that chocolate-raspberry jam... wow. I just finished putting up a batch of rose petal jelly. (I saw an earlier post with a recipe; here's mine for those using US measures.) For what it's worth, I used a mix of white and pink blossoms today, since that's what the garden has to offer at the moment. And I go with less sugar than some recipes I've seen. More, and it seems too cloying to me. Enjoy. Rose jelly Makes just shy of five 8-oz. jars 3 C. rose petals (unsprayed, just-picked) 2 C. water 2 1/2 C. sugar 1/4 C. lemon juice, fresh-squeezed and strained 3 oz. package liquid pectin 1 T. rosewater Rinse petals well. Bring water to a boil in a stainless steel pan. Toss in petals and give them a good stir. Cover and let steep 30 minutes (stir once or twice in there somewhere). Strain petals through a colander lined with a clean cloth and gently squeeze out the liquid into a clean 2-quart saucepan. You should have 2 cups of liquid. Add lemon juice and sugar and bring to a quick boil, stirring a bit. Let it boil hard for 2 minutes. Add pectin. Boil for 4 minutes. Take off the heat; let it sit for 1 minute and stir in the rosewater. Pour into sterilized canning jars. (If you like, place a few tiny rosebud petals on the surface of the jelly before sealing it up.) Seal and process in boiling water for 10 minutes.

Since the link will disappear, I'm posting the article content. It would frustrating to come along in a few days and not know what all the fuss was about. Carol, I have to agree with you about the twee tone. I couldn't put my finger on what was bothering me, but you summed it up nicely. Leah Eskin A day in the country Four French friends make jam and mischief Published September 10, 2006 Christine Ferber calls Guy Untereiner her best friend. So when she mentions another best friend, Guy is heartbroken. Decu! Christine runs a patisserie in the unpronounceable French town of Niedermorschwihr. But today, in the Michigan sunlight, her new best friend is Herb Teichman. Herb grows fruit so sweet that Christine is moved to treasure these jewels not merely for a morning but forever-or as ever as fruit can get, which is to say as jam. "Elle est la fee de la confiture!" admires Guy. She is the fairy queen of jam. Indeed, her jam is so beautifully colored and richly flavored and endearingly packaged that it is famous far beyond Alsace. "They adore her in Japan!" swoons Guy. Christine caresses an apricot. "The colors do me good," she confides. "I could make more jam, I could make more money. But that is not what I want. I want a beautiful life." A life packed with good flavors and good friends like chef Jean Joho (of Everest and Brasserie Jo and Eiffel Tower fame), who has invited her and Guy and pastry chef Jacquy Pfeiffer for a day in the country. Christine strolls into the orchard with Herb. "Pas de betises!" teases Guy. No messing around! Herb is married. Has been for 52 years. But what is a walk among the peach trees if not an opportunity for juicy innuendo? Back in Joho's breezy Michigan kitchen, Christine sorts the cherries one by one, sliding the beauties into little faceted jars. She instructs Joho to prepare a brine from Alsatian honey vinegar and peppercorns and star anise. Guy gazes at the heap of glorious fruit. "Mais c'est chic!" he cries. Guy, who has a soft spot for Norman Rockwell and garden gnomes, designs table linens that are one part sentimental French country, one part water-resistant practicality. Guy knows chic. Joho fills the jars with the brine and twists on the tops, sealing in summer. "Sixty degrees," Christine commands. Jacquy flips open his phone and does the math: [60 x (9/5)] + 32 = 140 degrees. Celsius to Fahrenheit is nothing; he runs Chicago's French Pastry School. Joho slides the jars into the oven. Christine is already melting apricots into jam. "When I have things put up I feel rich, like a squirrel," Herb said, back in the orchard. The oven is packed with bounty enough to make the friends feel rich as squirrels. And clever as fairies. APRICOT AND VANILLA JAM Makes three to four 1-cup jars 2 1/2 pounds apricots 3 3/4 cups sugar 1 cup water 2 vanilla beans, split in half Juice of 1 small lemon 1. Pick: Only perfect and perfectly ripe apricots will do. 2. Array: Assemble your tools: Copper jam pan or other medium-sized heavy low stockpot, canner or large stock pot, ceramic bowl, skimmer, wooden spoon, ladle, sieve, jar-lifter, tongs, candy thermometer, timer, parchment paper, clean dish towel, 4 1-cup Mason jars plus new lids, bands and labels. 3. Macerate: Rinse apricots in cold water. Cut them in half; discard pits. Mix apricots, sugar, water, vanilla beans and lemon juice in the bowl. Cover with parchment paper, pressing gently so paper touches fruit. Refrigerate 1 hour. 4. Simmer: Scrape apricot mixture into the jam pan. Bring to a simmer. Pour back into bowl. Press on parchment paper and refrigerate overnight. 5. Sterilize: Next day, wash jars, bands and lids. Set aside bands. Put lids in a small saucepan. Simmer 5 minutes. Let lids sit in hot water. Set jars in a stockpot. Fill pot with water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, boil 10 minutes. Let jars sit in hot water. 6. Boil: Set the sieve over the jam pan. Pour apricot mixture through the sieve. Remove and discard apricot skins; set aside apricot halves. Bring accumulated juices to a boil. Skim thoroughly and continue cooking on high heat until syrup reaches 220 degrees on the candy thermometer. Add the reserved apricot halves. Bring to a boil again and cook 5 minutes. Continue to skim carefully and stir gently. Remove the vanilla beans and cut into 2-inch lengths. 7. Fill: Use jar-lifter to grab 1 jar in its hot water bath. Tilt to empty, carefully. Ladle hot jam into hot jar, right up to the top. Add a length of vanilla bean. Wipe top edge with a clean damp cloth. Use tongs to set 1 hot lid on top. Screw on band. Turn jar upside down to seal and cool.* Fill the rest of jars in the same way, one at a time. 8. Store: When cool, check that the lids are concave, indicating a good seal. Label and store on a cool, dark shelf up to 1 year. -Adapted from "Mes Confitures" by Christine Ferber *The USDA considers inversion canning inferior to this boiling-water process: Follow the recipe above, leaving 1/4-inch headroom in jars. Wipe rim, set on lid, screw band finger-tight. Keep jars upright. Transfer to a canner and process 5 minutes. Lacking canner, set a round cooling rack or several inverted ring bands in the bottom of a stockpot. Fill pot with water. Bring to a boil. Using a jar-lifter, lower filled, sealed jars into the pot until submerged by 1 inch. Cover pot. When water returns to a boil, time 5 minutes. Lift out jars. Cool. Store up to 1 year. For details and high-altitude adjustments, see homefoodpreservation.com. LeahREskin@aol.com Btw, Her comment that she could make more money but she wants a beautiful life is just so French - not that there is anything wrong with that.