Perfect Peach Jam

5 stars from 1 review

Peach jam is unbelievably delicious and the flavor is so much better when it's homemade! This peach jam recipe is simple to make, too!

Author: Donna Elick

Servings: tablespoons (4 quarts)

Cook Time1

Total Time1

Ingredients

5 pounds peaches or nectarines, approximately 8 cups diced
1/4 cup lemon juice 1 large lemon
5 cups granulated sugar
2 tart apples I prefer Granny Smith
2 cinnamon sticks
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Instructions

Squeeze lemon into a large bowl.
Rinse peaches well under cold water. Remove skins by blanching. You can do this by dipping peaches in boiling water for 30 second to 1 minute.
Immediately transfer the peaches to a sink or bowl of very cold water (preferrably an ice bath) to stop the cooking.
Slice the peaches in half and discard the pits.
You will notice a 'seam' down one side of your peach. If you slice the peach around the diameter following this line you will be able to easily remove the pit. The skin will slide right off. If you have a few spots that are more difficult you can use a paring knife to remove those spots.
Finely chop your peaches and place them in bowl with lemon juice. Toss to coat.
Pour peaches and sugar into large (8-12 quart) heavy bottomed pot, and stir well to combine.
Cover pot with plastic wrap and allow peach mixture to sit for an hour before cooking. To ensure you get the most flavor and sweetness out of your peaches, we are macerating them in sugar for an hour before you begin cooking them.
After peaches are macerated your mixture will be darker, as the juices have been extracted. Once an hour has passed, remove plastic wrap and bring to a boil over medium heat.
Meanwhile, prepare apples by coring, peeling and dicing into small pieces.
After an hour, add prepared apples, cinnamon sticks and allspice to the pot with peaches.
Bring peaches to a boil on medium heat and cook for 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 1 hour, reduce heat to low and keep a slow boil.
After 15 minutes, put a spoon of jam onto a saucer and place into the freezer until cool. If you can easily pass your finger through the jam it is not done. Check every few minutes and once the jam gives some resistance (starts to create ripples) you are done!
When finished, jam will resist and rumple a bit; it will be more jellied than sauce. That’s what you want to see. Your apples will dissolve into the jam and you will be left with a thick delicious peach jam spiced with cinnamon and allspice.
Remove from heat and remove and discard cinnamon sticks.
Either can in sterilized jars according to standard safe canning practices, or put in the fridge or freezer for consumption within 5 days.

Notes

The best way to ensure you get the most flavor and sweetness out of your peaches is to macerate them in sugar for an hour before you begin cooking them. This will help extract the natural sweetness and juices and make for a much more flavorful jam.

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