Peach Jam
Basic peach jam how-to
Peach Jam
Peaches are the emblem of summer; they scream sunshine and long, hot days, and stopping at farmer’s markets on vacation. Biting into a sweet-tart peach, warm honey-like juice trickling down your chin is what I think of when I have peach jam, and you will thank yourself when it’s mid-winter and you have a few jars in the cupboard.
My advice is to taste a peach before buying enough to make a batch of jam. They should have a good amount of acidity along with sweetness - and they must be flavorful. Yellow peaches are more acidic than white and are best for jam, and I’d recommend using the white ones fresh in desserts where you can really appreciate their delicate, floral quality.
Note: you can buy so-called seconds, or “pie fruit” at many farmer’s markets, where the fruit may be bruised or overripe. When making jam, you need at least some fruit that is actually a touch underripe because pectin dissipates the riper the fruit is. This goes for all fruit and berries. I don’t recommend using more than 20% of overripe fruit in jam making for this reason.
See Strawberry Jam for more details and useful links.
RECIPE
Yields about 4 cups jam
• 2K / 4 1/3 pounds peaches, (about 8 large)
• 1200g / 42 ounces sugar
• 3 lemons, juiced
Peel the peaches: bring a pot of water to the boil, deep enough to submerge a peach. Dip them into the boiling water for about 20 seconds. Place them in cool water for a minute; the skin will peel off easily. Cut them in eighths, and then in 1-inch pieces. Put in a large jam making pot with the sugar and lemon juice.
Have sterilized jars and lids ready to fill, along with a clean, dampened tea towel and a dry tea towel.
Bring to a boil, skimming any brownish foam off the top with a ladle or spoon. Stir to prevent sticking, especially as the bubbles slow down and the jam gets closer to 215º. Cook to 221f. Immediately take off the heat.
Fill jars, leaving ¼ inch headroom. Process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath according to manufacturer’s instructions.