Peach Jam Recipe and How to Can
Yes! I had sweet success making and canning this easy peach jam recipe last weekend. I’ve been on the hunt for decent peaches and finally found good ones at Wiltse’s Farm Market just down the road from my house.
Before I get to the recipe, I want to know why it’s been so hard to find good, juicy peaches this year. They’re all hard at the grocery store but I tried taking them home and letting them ripen. Unfortunately, they were hard for a couple days, and then ripened at warp speed to the point they went from hard to rotten. Sigh. This happened on several occasions.
I waited Wiltse’s Farm Market to offer peaches, but they were also rock hard. Ugh. I decided to give them a try at ripening at home anyway. I hoped upon hope that since they’re locally grown, I’d have better luck. Fortunately for me, they ripened beautifully. I was finally able to make peach jam and can the jars for later use.
I’m always nervous the first time I try a new recipe, but the peach jam turned out beautifully and is so easy to make. Why didn’t I try this sooner? My batch yielded three jars – one of which went into the fridge to use right away, and two went through a simple canning process to enjoy later this fall or winter.
I like to spread my jam on top of slightly toasted crusty bread, over a thin layer of whipped ricotta cheese. So yummy! You could also add it to plain or vanilla yogurt.
I have more peaches ripening on my kitchen table and plan to slice and can them for winter. My sister, who owns and operates a farm and market in Michigan, does this all the time and professes how much better they are than store-bought canned peaches.
What kind of fruits have you canned? When my figs ripen on the plants by the pond, I’m going to can some fig preserves.
Peach Jam Recipe
How to make peach jam or preserves and can them for later use.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3 pounds fresh peaches
- 1 cup sugar, more or less to taste
- 8 ounce jelly jars, two to four
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
Instructions
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Peel, pit, and dice the fresh peaches. Pour lemon juice into large, heavy-bottomed sauce pan. Add the peaches and stir to coat. The lemon juice keeps the peaches from turning brown.
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Pour half the sugar over the peaches and stir gently. I advise doing a taste test before adding the rest of the sugar. Depending on the sweetness of the peaches you're using, you may need less or more sugar than 1 cup. If desired, add the rest of the sugar. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes.
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Bring the peach mixture to a boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat, add cinnamon and stir (you can add more cinnamon, if desired). Let the peach mixture simmer for an hour or longer until the liquid has become thick like jelly.
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Halfway through the cooking process, use a potato masher to crush the peaches just slightly. You want to leave a few chunks in the jam for that extra burst of flavor when eating.
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When your jam has reached a desired consistency, turn off the heat and pour mixture into sterilized jelly jars, leaving one-fourth inch at the top. Wipe the top of the jars with a paper towel and screw the lids on top until just hand tight.
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Place the filled jars into a large pot of water. The water should cover the jars by about one-half inch. Bring the water to a rolling boil and process for about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove the jars with tongs. Let cool for 12-24 hours. You might hear a popping sound as the jars seal.
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After cooling, check the seal by pushing down on the center of the lid – it shouldn't move at all. You can transfer your peach jam to the cupboard. If any of the lids do move, place in the refrigerator and use within a couple months.
More Fruit Recipes to Try:
Blackberry Cornmeal Cake Recipe
Roasted Figs with Goat Cheese and Honey
Can’t wait to try this i love peaches, thanks.
I’ve had the same problem with peaches here as well. We plan to visit some farmer’s markets soon so I plan to look there for something I can freeze for later this winter. My grandmother used to make conserves when she became too old to do too much in the kitchen and I miss that. She said it was easier? I plan on looking as we bought a small chest freezer (ordered in March and just picked it up last week..August!!) I pinned this recipe to try as well. I’ve never canned foods but think it’s best I do so this winter. I also can’t find tomato juice but that should be easy to make myself….one would think:0)
Sounds so yummy and satisfying. Just out of curiosity, was canning yourself more economical than buying the same amount of a reliable organic product? I haven’t canned in for-ev-er and I used to do so for health and savings, but that was when organic products were scarce and expensive.
You are right about how odd the peaches are this year. I got a bushel of freshly picked peaches from a nearby farmstand and they were not quite ripe, however, once they started to ripen I had to scramble to get them all processed. I ended up 4 quart bags of frozen peaches, 13 pints of canned peaches, 6 jars of peach marmalade and a very yummy peach cobbler.
I used to do a lot of canning when I was younger, from tomatoes, peaches, to pickles and especially pickled beets. My Mom also used to do a mustard yellow bean and tomato jam that was always yummy with breakfast. I used to do lots of freezer jams mostly blueberry and strawberry. But now with only two of us it’s really not worth the time to do. It is very time consuming but I must admit I do really miss my pickle beets since nothing in the stores has ever compared .