In this blog post, I’ll be sharing a fantastic Peach Jam recipe that celebrates the natural goodness of peaches without the need for any artificial additives or complicated techniques. With just three simple ingredients – peaches, sugar, and a splash of zesty lemon juice – you’ll be able to create a luscious and flavorful jam that’s perfect for spreading on toast, swirling into yogurt, or adding a dollop to your favorite desserts.

Time: Prep: 120 min.  Cook: 3.5-4 hours or until your jam sets well
Yield: 23 jars of 250ml

Ingredients:

• 11 kg fresh peaches
• 4 kg sugar
• Juice from 5 lemons                   

Equipment:

• Jars & lids. Lids should have a gum binder that seals them against the top of the jar.
• 1 large heavy pot for boiling the jam
• Wooden spoons for stirring
• Ladle for distributing jam into jars

Directions:

Wash, peel, pit and cut the peaches in quarters or even smaller pieces.

Place them into a large pot and add the sugar and lemon juice.

Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Let the jam simmer, stirring constantly to prevent sticking. Test the thickness of the jam periodically (spoon some jam onto a plate and let it cool). If it’s runny and saucy you need to let the jam cook for some more time.

While your jam is simmering, wash the jars in soapy water and rinse them thoroughly. Allow them to drip-dry for 15-20 minutes and then place them in a pan (or right on the rack) in the oven set to 225F (100C) to sterilize the jars. Leave them there until you are ready to pour the jam. Make sure the lids are clean and dry as well before using them.

Carefully remove the jars from the oven. Pour jam into hot sterilized canning jars. It’s better to pour half a ladle of jam in each jar to allow the jar to reach almost the same temperature as the jam. Then fill all the jars leaving 1-1.5 cm headspace. This is very important as overfilling can result in a jar that doesn’t seal properly.

Wipe the jars with a clean damp paper towel to remove any residue. Place lids on top and cover the jars with a blanket until they are completely cooled. The purpose of the blanket is to allow the jars to cool slowly and help the lids seal properly.

This time I didn’t process the jars in a water bath as I did with my strawberry jam and apricot jam.I just used my mom’s blanket trick to sterilize them as this method works wonderfully as well. Just place the jars next to each other and cover them (over the top and sides) with 1-2 thick blankets. Leave them covered until they are completely cooled.

However, if you want to sterilize them using the water bath as well you can do it. You need a large pot with a rack or other spacer at the bottom so that jars do not rest directly on the bottom of the pot. Add enough hot water to cover the jars by 2-3 cm. Bring the water to a gentle boil and process them for 15-20 minutes. Then remove the jars from the water and cover them with a blanket until they are completely cooled.

After the jars are completely cooled if you can press the center of the lid down, it did not seal.  If any jars have not sealed, you can either try processing them again in a water bath or just refrigerate them.