Peach jam. Photo: FL4Y, Flickr

As you've read here, home canning, once an expected part of a homemaker's vocabulary of skills, is experiencing a resurgence. The revival is partly due to economics: According to Martin Franklin, chairman of the Jarden Corporation (home of the Ball jar), home preserving experiences a spike in popularity during lean times.

It's also got something to do with the pleasures of canning your own food. Selecting and preparing the ingredients, gathering supplies and getting them ready and mustering the necessary focus is rewarded with several jars of something gorgeous, nutritious and tasty that will amplify a meal in the cold months.

What treat is nicer on an icy morning than fresh jam? Upon opening it, the eater is greeted with the sunny fragrance of fruit that once hung heavy on its limb or vine. Upon tasting it, memories come alive of the orchard, woodland and garden.

After the jump, an original recipe for a spicy peach jam to slather on autumnal scones, dribble on winter waffles or spread on humble anytime toast. Once you get the hang of canning, it's really simple, so go ahead: Grab a bushel of peaches while they're plentiful, and seal some summer into a jar.

Peach Jam

Small, sweet, yellow-fleshed peaches are abundant during the summer and make the best jam, so choose them over the white-fleshed variety. The amount of fresh peaches called for is inexact, as there will be variations in size and quality; after you've peeled and chopped the peaches and measured out the amount you need for jam, use leftovers for fruit salad or hand pies. This recipe yields approximately six 8-ounce jars of jam as processed in a hot-water canner; if you use a pressure canner, adjust the processing directions accordingly.

Approximately 4 pounds fresh peaches

2 lemons

5 cups granulated white sugar

1 piece fresh ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1.75-ounce package powdered fruit pectin

1. Prepare canner, jars, rims and lids. (Fill canner with water to cover jars by one inch, set in canning rack, and settle jars on rack. Bring to high boil and process 10 minutes. Use tongs to remove hot jars to cooling rack while you prepare jam.)

2. Run both lemons along the counter under your palm to release the juice. Cut one lemon into thick rounds; set aside. Juice the second lemon; measure out two tablespoons of juice and set aside. Peel the ginger so it is very clean. Use a ginger grater or the small holes of a box grater to grate 2 tablespoons ginger; set aside.

3. Remove stems from peaches. Dig out any insect holes using the sharp end of a small paring knife.

4. Bring a pot of water big enough to hold the peaches to a boil. Add lemon rounds.

5. While water is boiling, cut a small X in the stem end of each peach. Dump the peaches into the water and boil for about one minute, until the peaches have just begun to loose their skin at the X. Drain the peaches in a large colander and run cool water over them. Set pot back on the stovetop.

6. For each peach, slip the paring knife under one of the four points of the X and pull. The skin should come away in strips.

7. Once all of the peaches are peeled, halve them and remove the pits, also removing any especially hard or discolored patches. Chop the peaches; measure out 4 1/2 cups and return this amount to the pot.

8. In the pot, use your hands or a potato masher to mash the peaches into a pulp. It is fine if some chunks remain. Whisk in the lemon juice, cinnamon and grated ginger; then whisk in the pectin until dissolved.

9. Bring to a boil over high heat, whisking frequently. Whisk in the sugar. It's OK if the boil goes down; just allow it to come back up. Once the mixture is at full rolling boil, boil for one minute, whisking constantly.

10. Remove from heat and skim off foam, if any.

11. Ladle jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headroom. Wipe the rim of each jar with a clean, damp sponge. Center the lid on each jar and then screw the band down tightly until no resistance is met.

12. Place the jars into the canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Process for 10 minutes. Turn off heat, remove canner lid and let jars sit in hot water for 5 minutes.

13. Remove jars from hot water. Set aside to cool. When the jars are cool, check for a slight indentation in the lid, which indicates a vacuum seal.