You can enjoy those juicy summer peaches all year long with this simple homemade peach jam recipe made with no pectin! Bonus: FREE jam labels!
Every summer, my family and I love visiting one of the local farms to pick our own fruit. It is so much fun, we usually end up picking pounds upon pounds of fruit. It's impossible not to come home with boxes of fruit. It isn't until we come home that we realize there is no way we can eat all that fruit before it spoils, so we do what we can to use them up as fast as possible.
One of my favorite ways is to make homemade jam. I never remember to buy pectin, so I make all my jams without it, this peach jam is no exception.
There aren't too many steps to making homemade peach jam, but it is important to set aside at least a few hours to make it.
First is to blanch the peaches. This makes it easier to remove the skins. Simply boil water and add in the peaches for about a minute. Immediately after the minute is up, add the peaches to a pot of ice cold water. You should then be able to easily peel off the skin. If your peaches aren't fully ripe, you might still have issues removing the skin. It is okay to use a peeler
Once you've finished removing the skins, the next step to making your peach jam is to cut up the peaches. You may leave them in slices, or dice them, it makes no real difference in the end product. I usually just leave them in medium to thick-sized slices.
Add the peaches to a thick-bottomed pot, and stir in the lemon juice, sugar, and salt. At this point, you can technically start cooking, but I prefer to leave the peaches to sit in the sugar to release some of the juices from the peaches.
Now, comes the part of making peach jam without pectin that takes a while, and is a little tedious: cooking.
First, we bring the juices to a boil, then we turn it down to a low simmer until the mixture becomes thick. While it cooks, mash the peaches to your desired consistency. You can use an immersion blender if you prefer something more smooth, but if you are like me and prefer your peach jam to have larger pieces of peach in it, a potato masher works wonderfully.
It takes anywhere between an hour and a half to two hours for the jam to cook down to the right consistency.
It isn't until the very end that we add the vanilla extract to the peach jam. Simply stir it in just before ladling the mixture into your jars.
For your convenience, I made you FREE jar labels for your peach jam jars that you can use! Just print them out on blank sticker paper sheets and cut them out!.
If you are interested in more jam recipes, you can try my rhubarb jam! Or, if you are looking for another way to use up your peaches, you can try this peach moonshine.
Peach Jam
Ingredients
- 5 lbs peaches
- 1 ½ - 2 cups granulated sugar*
- 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Boil a large pot of water. Add your whole peaches and boil for one minute. Remove the peaches and immediately submerge them in ice cold water.
- Peel the skin off the peaches. If your peaches are ripe, you can do this now with your hands very easily. If your peaches are under ripe, you might need to use a peeler.
- Slice the peaches and add them to a large pot along with the juice of one lemon, sugar, and the salt. Allow it to sit for about 20 minutes for the juices to release from the peaches.
- Heat the mixture until it comes to a light boil. Immediately turn it down so that it simmers. Any foam that forms on top can either be scooped out or mixed back in.
- Cook, stirring frequently until the mixture is thickened. Mash the peaches to your desired consistency.
- While your peaches cook, boil your canning jars for 10 minutes, and leave them empty in the hot water
- Once the mixture is nice and thick, turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Carefully ladle the jam into the jars and secure with your lids. Boil for 10 minutes.
- Allow the jam to cool to room temperature before putting in your fridge,
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