I love peaches and the best are Southern Ontario peaches picked during the peak of the season (well okay, any local peaches from your local farmer’s market probably taste just as good).
I’ve been expanding my repertoire of jams and jellies each year and this year peach jam was on the list. I honestly think peach jam seems to bring out the taste of summer in the dead of winter and nothing can beat homemade jam. I do use pectin in my jam recipe to preserve that rich, peach colour. I also leave mine a bit chunky. If you don’t want any peach bits in your jam, puree your fruit a little more.
Ingredients
- 8-10 peaches to achieve 4 cups peeled, chopped or pureed, peaches
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 7 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 packages liquid certo
Instructions
- Wash jars. Sterilize jars in stove at 250F for 20 minutes. Put lids in water and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Bring large pot of water to boil. Dunk peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds or so then remove to sink filled with cold water. This makes peeling the peaches much easier.
- Remove skins & pit & chop or crush with hand blender leaving some larger pieces if you want a chunky jam.
- In large saucepan stir together prepared peaches, sugar, lemon juice and butter. Bring to hard boil (when you can’t stir down the boil) under high heat. Boil hard 1 minute.
- Remove from heat. Stir in certo. Stir and skim (not necessary with addition of butter) for 5 minutes to prevent floating pieces.
- Pour into sterilized jars about 1/4 inch from rim, being careful not to get jam on edges. Clean edges are needed to ensure jam jars will seal. Cover with lids and screw rings on tightly.
Makes 9-10 jars