Making Peach Jam

My favorite jam is homemade peach jam so Saturday when I saw some nice peaches on sale at the grocery store I decided to make some.

You need 6 cups of diced peaches. I think it took about 7 large peaches to make 6 cups.

First you want to peel and dice the peaches. I dip the whole peaches in boiling water for about 20 seconds and then into ice water...this makes them easier to peel.

Next you want to squeeze 6 tablespoons of lemon juice.

Add the diced peaches, the lemon juice and 3 cups of sugar to a heavy pot and add about a teaspoon of butter. The butter is optional but it does keep the jam from foaming and it also makes it nice and clear, which to me looks more appetizing than cloudy-looking jam. Cook the mixture at a slow boil for about 30 minutes.

While the peaches are cooking you want to sterilize the jars and lids. I run the jars through the dishwasher and try to time it so they are finished and still hot when the jam is finished cooking. I sterilize the lids by dropping them in boiling water that has been removed from the heat.

Next you want to fill the jars. I didn't get a photo of that because I was rushing to get them filled while everything was still hot! If you didn't add the butter then you'll want to skim off the foam before you fill the jars.

Rather than canning with a hot water canner I use a steam canner. It keeps your kitchen cooler and it's so much safer than a huge pot of boiling water. The steam canner works well for jams, fruit, tomatoes but you can't use it to can meat...but who cans meat anymore? Mine is called The Ideal Fruit Canner but I didn't see any new ones for sale on the internet so maybe they don't make this brand any longer.

The steam canner is so easy, you just put some water in the bottom, then the rack and load up the jars, put the lid on and turn up the heat and wait for the steam to come out the side vents. Then you turn the heat down a little and set the timer for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes you remove the lid and place the jars on a kitchen towel. Right away you start hearing the lids pop down and you know it worked.

You just want to make sure when you press down on each lid that it firm and sealed.

Then you can decorate them! I used paper doilies from The Dollar Tree on top of mine. I just slipped a rubber band over the doily and then tied on some ribbon and some Mary Engelbreit gift tags I bought at Michaels a couple years ago.

Now I have a special homemade gift ready on hand for my friends. I think I'm going to make more next weekend for us to keep.

Peach Jam

6 Cups peeled and diced peaches

3 Cups of sugar

1 Teaspoon butter (optional)

6 Tablespoons of lemon juice

Bring all the ingredients to a boil in a large heavy pot. Reduce the heat to Medium/Medium Low and continue to slowly boil for 30 minutes. Fill hot, sterilized jars and following canning instructions that come with your canner.