Fruit picking season is pretty much my favorite time of year. There’s an orchard about 4 miles from where I live that offer pick your own for several different fruits they grow. The season starts with strawberries, then cherries, blackberries, peaches, apples, and pumpkins.
So far this year, we’ve picked everything but pumpkins. It’s pretty much my favorite pastime. There’s just something so satisfying about knowing that every fruit in the bucket or box was hand selected by me (or my 3 year old with my oversight 😂).
Peach picking peaks in August, so naturally, I had to go get my share of the harvest. It took probably 10 minutes and was so worth it.
A quarter of the peaches I used to make peach cobbler but the rest, I turned into peach jam. It turned out so stupid delicious that it’s definitely going to be a yearly staple. So without further ado, here’s the recipe.
INGREDIENTS
- 5.5 lbs peaches, peeled and chopped
- 4 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 packet suregel pectin
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
Combine the peaches, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract in a large pot over high heat. Bring to a boil.
Once boiling, add the butter. Bring to an unbreakable rolling boil (boiling continues even when stirring), and add the pectin.
Reduce heat to medium simmer for 10 minutes to reduce further.
WATER BATH CANNING INSTRUCTIONS
Wash/sanitize your jars and place clean, dried jars on a sheet pan inside a 200 degree oven.
Place new lids in bowl of warm water, have rims on hand.
Fill canning pot full of water (enough to cover jars by at least an inch) and bring to a boil.
Once jam is finished, pull a sanitized jar from the oven, funnel jam into jar leaving 1/4 inch at the top, use bubble remover to remove any bubbles, use magic wand to remove lid from water bowl and place on cleaned jar rim. Secure ring on jar and set aside until you have a group to put in the water bath.
Place five or six filled jam jars in water bath canner and boil for 10 minutes.
Remove from water and set aside, ensure lids have sealed (you’ll hear them pop or see the center decompress). Repeat the process until you run out of jam. Partial jars can’t be safely sealed, those should go straight in the refrigerator.
These should last for a year at room temperature. If lids do not seal, refrigerate and eat within 2 weeks.
This jam turned out so delicious. My favorite way to eat it is on a fresh baked biscuit, but it is also delicious on sourdough toast, for PB&J sandwiches, and as an ice cream topping.
Let me know if you try it!
