If you love fresh peaches and wish you could enjoy that summer time taste all year-long, then you are going to love this peach jam.

With just a few basic ingredients, you can preserve that sweet and delicious flavor that you will be able to enjoy even in the middle of winter.  Just imagine yourself pulling a jar off the shelf and spreading the peach jam over a piece of toast or over warm biscuits as you enjoy a cup of coffee….yum!!!

This recipe uses no pectin – making it less intimidating for those new to canning and much more convenient for those that don’t have any on hand. Without the pectin you just heat and reduce the jam until the desired thickness is reached.

If you are new to canning, jam recipes are a great place to start. They require little preparation and most fruit jams are able to safely be canned using the water bath method. Be sure to review our article: The Basics of Canning.

Peach Jam Recipe

*makes 6-7 half pints

INGREDIENTS:
4 pounds of fresh peaches
3 cups of sugar
2 Tbsp. of lemon juice
1/2 cup of water

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Peel peaches by placing them in a pot of boiling water for one minute. Remove the peaches and place them in a large bowl filled with ice water. When safe to handle (approximately 1-2 minutes), you can pull the skins off the peaches easily.
2. Remove the pits, slice into small chunks and place in a bowl.
3. Toss peach chunks with lemon juice.
4. Place peaches in a food processor and pulse into small bits but do not liquefy.
5. In a large pot over medium heat add water and sugar. Heat and stir until sugar is dissolved.

6. Add peach mixture and continue to stir until it thickens. You must stir frequently to prevent sticking/burning.
7. Once the desired thickness is reached, ladle into sterilized half-pint jars leaving ¼ inch headspace.
8. Remove air bubbles, wipe rim, add warm lid and band.
9. Process 10 minutes in a boiling water adjusting time as needed based on your altitude.
10. Remove jars from canner, and place on thick towel. Let jars seal and cool for 24 hours.

Enjoy!

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