It’s hard to believe Summer ends exactly one month from today. It went by so fast and while we can’t jar up the Summer to make it last forever,  I love canning Summer fruits so we can have it year round. We went to California a few weeks ago and I bought a large box of peaches from a fruit stand and put it good use in this Peach Jam canning recipe! It would also make a fabulous gift in the Fall or even for Christmas!

If you are new to canning, please check out http://www.pickyourown.org, they have great tips and resources for canning!

Recipe: Peach Jam (canned)

Supplies:

• Canner (I use the waterbath method w/ a canning pot from Walmart)
• Funnel
• Sanitized Jars, seals and bands

Ingredients:

• Peaches
• Sugar
• Pectin
• Butter, optional to prevent foaming

Directions:

1. Set up an assembly line, peaches first. Then boiling water, next to that is a bowl full of ice water. Last is a bowl for the peaches.
2. Sanitize Jars and lids, if you are not sure how to do this check the link above for Pick Your Own. I boil them and then put them in the oven.
3. Boil a round of peaches for 60 seconds, remove with a slotted ladle.
4. Place in the ice water for aprox 20 seconds each.
5. Remove from the ice water and remove the skins. At this point, they should be easily removed when you simply peel the skin off with your thumb and index finger.
6. Pit the peaches and chop finely.
7. Follow the directions on the Pectin (each Pectin is different so it is important you follow the directions on the package).
8. Once you have the jam, fill the jars w/ a 1/2 inch headspace w/ a funnel.
9. Place in waterbath for approximately 10 minutes.
10. Remove carefully, allow to cool. They are ready for storage once the seals “pop”. If they do not seal, they can be stored in the fridge for approx 3 weeks. If they seal, they can store for approx 1 year.
11. Enjoy!

A few tips:

• Use canning tongs, it makes life easier.
• Use peaches that are more blush with red, that is how you can tell if they are ripe.
• If the peaches don’t peel easily, try putting them in the boiling water one more time. If they don’t peel still, they weren’t ready.
• Have a day to do this, I believe it took me approx 4 hours to can 30 lbs of peaches in this jam.
• To add fabric swatch to the top, wait until they have already been in the waterbath and cooled. Carefully remove the band, NOT the seal. The seal must stay in tact. Carefully place the fabric on and twist the band back on.

I made a simple printable for my jars, I’m sharing it here. Click the image to make it bigger, then press print. For personal use only.

What is a how to post without tears and broken glass? Here is what happens when you aren’t careful with hot jars of hot jam!

Looking for a Strawberry Jam recipe? I did one last Summer: http://cleverpinkpirate.com/2011/09/08/frugal-foodie-easy-strawberry-jam-canning-recipe/

 

I’m linked up at these fabulous sites:

http://todayscreativeblog.net

http://lilluna.com/

http://www.snaptheconference.com/