I bought a great big bag of locally grown peaches for super cheap and just knew we would never be able to eat them all in time. I thought about slicing and freezing them but I knew that we would just end up tossing them in the blender to make smoothies, and then they would all be gone in one sitting. I wanted to find a way to make them last a little longer. Then I remembered how much jam and jelly we use in this house. (especially on our potato bread!) And I remembered the price too. The good stuff is NOT CHEAP. And peach preserves are not easy to find. I had discovered my mission.
This recipe makes 9 half-pints. But we don't do HALF pints in this house. When we make jelly it has to be in at least a pint sized jar or its gone in one meal. Plus, we usually double the recipe too. lol So when we double it, this recipe makes 9 pints or 18 half-pints (great for smaller families or for gift giving)
Ingredients:
- 4 cups peeled, pitted, and chopped peaches
- 1 pkg powdered pectin
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 7 cups sugar
Mix peaches, pectin and lemon juice in a large saucepot. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. I like to use a potato masher and mash up the peaches some more at this point. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Return to a rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and skim off the foam. Ladle hot preserves into hot jars using a funnel to ensure that you don't get any on the edges of the jar. Make sure to leave 1/4" headspace. Tighten 2 piece caps. Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes.
You will notice after making this, that the fruit pieces all seem to float up to the top. Also, after storing at room temperature, upon opening your preserves you may find that they are not as thick as you may want it. But, not to worry, once you open them up, give them a good mix and store them in the nice cold fridge all your worries will disappear... well, at least that one anyway.
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