Peach Jam for the Freezer

An alternative to water bathing canning homemade jams and jellies is to make Freezer jam and jellies. That is what I did with some nice peaches I had. We have had a lot of peach pie this year and I wanted to try this recipe instead.

 The recipe (directions) are from a Martha Stewart Living Magazine. I did cook it about double the time the recipe called for as I cooked it at a lower heat setting than called for. I did not want the jam to scorch and I hate to skim foam off of jams and jellies, hence the lower heat. 

 The only thing this will do is take longer to thicken. Test the jam on a cold plate that has been in the freezer. We like ours a little on the soft side so that is what I aimed for.

There is no commercial pectin in this recipe so it will take longer to jell anyway.

 For the taste of summer all winter long this is a good way to do it. It is for a small batch so you don’t have a lot to handle at once and unless you live in Peach Country this helps on the budget. Small household, just don’t eat as much as we did when I had teenagers at home.

Peach Jam

3 pounds of fruit*

3 ⅓ cups sugar

¼ teaspoon coarse salt

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice (you can use fresh here as you are not canning it)

 Peel, (leave peeling on optional) chop into 1 inch pieces discarding pits.

Stir together fruit, sugar, and ¼ teaspoon coarse salt in a large heavy pot. Bring to a boil; stirring until sugar is dissolved and mashing fruit with a potato masher. Add lemon juice; continue to boil stirring frequently until bubbles slow, chunks of fruit show at top and mixture clings to a spoon. 14 to 28 minutes. Test a spoonful on a cold plate to see if it is setting.

 Ladle Jam into clean, hot containers leaving ¾ inch headroom. Allow to cool. When cool cover and store in refrigerator for one month or freezer for up to a year.

*Use 3 pound peaches

1 ½ pound peaches, 1½  pound plums

3 pounds of plums

or 1 pound each of berries of your choice to equal 3 pounds.