Cooking with Chef Jo: No Pectin, Low Sugar Peach Jam

I only wish mine were this big.

I mentioned last post that I was picking peaches and was going to make jam with them. The recipe I use is pretty standard. I use lemons as a high pectin addition. This way I don't have to run to the store and buy pectin to make my jam thick, nor do I have to deplete my food storage of Clear-Jel. This was the first run of seriously harvesting one tree. We picked a 5-gallon bucket full before heavy rains had us scampering inside.

For the amount of sugar added, I started with 3 cups and add more to taste. With my little tween golf/tennis ball sized peaches, it took 15 peaches to get 7 pounds worth. They were quite tart so I went up to four and a half cups of sugar. They still have a little bit of tartness, but I like my jams that way.

Peach No Pectin, Low Sugar Jam
About 8 half pint jars

What you'll need
7 lb peaches, about 6 large peaches, small diced
3-5 cups sugar
3 lemons, juiced and 1 zested

Putting it all together

• Peel and dice peaches.
• Place peaches in a saucepan. 
• With a potato masher, break up fruit until there are equal amounts of peach juice to peaches.
• Add 3 cups of sugar, lemon zest and juice.
• Over medium heat, still until the sugar is dissolved and bring mixture to a boil.
• Taste your jam. If it needs more sugar, add it now.
• Bring mixture back to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
• Boil two minutes.
• Reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes.
• Ladle into hot jars.
• Wipe rims, lid and ring the jars. Water bath can for 15 minutes. Jam will thicken as it cools.

Slather this jam on biscuits with a ham steak dinner. Use it with brown sugar as a glaze for a whole

ham.  It's excellent on English muffins. Or, anytime you want a "little bit of Georgia in every bite." We aren't called the peach state for nothing.

Y'all have a blessed day!

Chef Jo