Peach Jam
After a crazy day of making chutney, believe it or not, I came back the next day to make peach jam with Mom. Why the delay in posting? I misplaced the recipe. Woops!
This recipe also works for Nectarines or Bartlett Pears as a substitute for peaches:
- 4 cups chopped fruit (I recommend small peices)
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 7½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 pouches Certo liquid pectin
- Parowax in the blue box (about 5 cubes)
- Sterilized jars, lids and rings – enough for a yield of 8 cups (we made it 6 pint jars, another 4 x 125mL ones with decorator lids for gifts plus some extra that went in a pretty dish. My Mom served it to over night guests who were coming that week)
It was actually really easy to make and took less time than I expected!
- In a large saucepan, stir together the fruit, sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over high heat.
- Boil hard for 1 min and stir to prevent sticking to the bottom (a hard boil won’t go away when you stir it). Remove from heat and stir in Certo pectin.
- Stir and skim for 5 min (the skimming is important to prevent froth from forming and stirring to make sure the fruit is evenly distributed as it solidifies).
- Pour into sterilized jars up to ¼”- ½” from the rim. Top with melted wax – you may need to top up the centre well with a little extra wax to make sure it’s completely sealed in. Let it cool completely, then screw on the lids and rings.
Mom swears by the Certo liquid pouch to provide the pectin – their recipe for cooked jam is what she’s always used. Don’t use the pectin crystals though, they don’t dissolve properly.
When you’re ready to eat the jam, use the tip of a knife to tip out the wax. That’s what really keeps it preserved. The lid is just to keep the dust off when you’re storing it 🙂
After reading Charlotte’s blog, an alternative to the wax is to seal and process the jars for 10 min in a water bath instead. See the raspberry jam recipe for more info »
