Peach Preserves (Jam)
With three simple ingredients you can preserve the bounties of spring and summer and create delicious, homemade peach preserves, or jam, depending on how chunky you like it.
Equipment
- immersion blender or potato masher
- water bath canner or large stock pot if you don't have a water bath canner, a large stock pot with a folded dish towel on the bottom will do the job.
- canning jars (half pints or pints), lids and rings this recipe yielded me 7 pints, however that will vary depending on how long you cook the jam and the amount of pectin in your peaches.
Ingredients
- 10 lbs peaches slightly under ripe
- 4 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 lemons, juiced
Instructions
Blanch the peaches
- Place a large pot of water to boil and prepare a large bowl with cold, icy water.
- Cut an "x" into the bottom of each peach. Place peaches into the pot of boiling water and cook for 30-60 seconds. Remove them from the pot and place into the bowl of cold icy water.
- Once the peaches have cooled enough to handle comfortably, peel and pit the peaches.
Making the jam
- Place peeled and pitted peaches into a large pot. Using an immersion blender or potato masher, crush peaches to the desired smoothness/chunkiness.
- Add sugar and lemon juice to the peaches and stir until well incorporated. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the peach mixture reaches "gel". This can take a couple of hours.
Canning the jam
- Prep your jars, lids and rings by washing them with warm soapy water. Allow them to air dry before moving on to the next step.
- Place clean jars into warm water, or place them in a rack over the water in your water bath canner. Allow them to warm with the water in your canner.
- Funnel hot jam into the hot jars leaving a 1/4" headspace. Dip the corner of a dish cloth in white vinegar and wipe the rims of each jar clean.
- Add lids and rings, tightening each to fingertip tightness.
- Place jars in the water bath canner or stockpot*, ensuring at least one inch of water above the top of the jars. Place the lid on the pot and bring to a boil.
- Once a rolling boil is established, process half pint jars for 10 minutes or pint jars for 15 minutes.
- Remove the pot lid and allow the jars to rest for five minutes before removing the jars.
- Carefully lift the jars out of the pot and place them on a towel on the counter. Leave them undisturbed for 12-24 hours. They may pop as they seal which is great! Don't worry if you don't hear popping, though.
- After the 12-24 hours are up, remove the rings and check the seals. Clean the outside of the jars and label. Any jars that did not seal can be stored in the fridge and used up first.
Notes
If you'd like freezer jam instead of canned, fill jars leaving a 1" headspace and place them in the freezer with rings on.
If you will be using a stock pot instead of a water bath canner, add a dishcloth to the bottom of the pot. It's important that your jars do not sit directly on the bottom of the pot.
The amount of jam you end up with will depend on how much pectin is in your peaches and how long you cook the jam. Ripe peaches have very little pectin and will need to be reduced down more in order to thicken. Slightly under ripe peaches will contain more pectin and won't need to be cooked down as long to thicken.