When I lived in Austin, I thought that the best peaches in Texas came from the Hill Country. Then I moved to Houston and tasted Cooper’s Farm peaches and peaches from other parts of East Texas.

I realized that some years the Hill Country peaches are tops, and some years the East [...]]]>

When I lived in Austin, I thought that the best peaches in Texas came from the Hill Country. Then I moved to Houston and tasted Cooper’s Farm peaches and peaches from other parts of East Texas.

I realized that some years the Hill Country peaches are tops, and some years the East Texas peaches are better and some years they are pretty equal. It all depends on the weather the orchards get during the growing season. A late spring freeze, a drought or too much rain at the wrong time can ruin the peach crop no matter where the orchard is located.

This year I bought a half bushel of peaches from Lightsey Farms in Mexia at the Eastside Farmer’s Market in Houston. Careful quality testing proved them to be excellent. And so I made peach preserves and brandied peaches over the weekend.

Peach Jam

Makes 8 pints

8 pounds peaches
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 package pectin
7 cups sugar
Whole vanilla bean (optional)

Drop the peaches in boiling water for about a minute. Then plunge into cold water. Using a butterknife, slip the skins off and cut the peaches into slices. Place the sliced peaches and lemon juice in a thick-bottomed non-reactive pot. Bring to a boil, stirring continuously. Boil for 1 minute and add the sugar and return to a hard rolling boil. Add the vanilla bean if desired.

Simmer, stirring continuously until the peaches are soft (10 minutes for preserves, 30 to 40 minutes for jam). Purists don’t add pectin to peach jam, but I am not a purist. If you want to use pectin for a firm setting jam, return the pot to a full boil add the pectin, stirring continuously for a few minutes to activate the gelling reaction.

When the pectin has gelled, the juice forms a solid stream when poured from a spoon. Turn off the heat and ladle the mixture into sterilized canning jars following the canning directions that come with the jars. After removing the jars from the hot water bath, allow to cool overnight. The next day, check the seal by pressing the top of the jar. If it clicks, the seal didn’t work and you will have to keep the jar in the fridge.

Try some homemade peach jam on your flapjacks.

The same East Texas produce stand that had the “Big Ass Melons” sign I posted previously also had this great mayhaw jelly sign. I didn’t buy any because I loaded up on mayhaws this season to make my own jelly. I still have a gallon in my freezer. I am a little tired [...]]]>

The same East Texas produce stand that had the “Big Ass Melons” sign I posted previously also had this great mayhaw jelly sign. I didn’t buy any because I loaded up on mayhaws this season to make my own jelly. I still have a gallon in my freezer. I am a little tired of mayhaw jelly though and I started thinking of other things to do with mayhaws. A mayhaw margarita came immediately to mind. But instead of trying to perfect the mayhaw syrup myself, I gave some mayhaws to Bobby Heugel at Anvil. Bobby had never heard of mayhaws.

I told him it was a fruit that grew wild in East Texas and is now being farmed in the Big Thicket. It’s the fruit of the hawthorn tree and it’s only ripe for a brief period in May, hence the name “mayhaw.” The little red fruits look and taste like tiny crabapples. The tartness would make them perfect for cocktails, I told the bartender. He looked skeptical. I wondered if Bobby would throw the bag in the trash the minute I left the building.

Such was not the case. Last time I walked into Anvil, one of the bartenders offered me a free mayhaw cocktail to thank me for my contribution. He mixed up some sotol, mescal, and grapefruit juice with mayhaw syrup. It was quite refreshing. He also let me taste some mayhaw bitters the bar was brewing.

I am very proud to have made a contribution, however modest, to Texas mixology. Next time you’re in Anvil, ask for a mayhaw cocktail.