Fresh Peach Jam
Love peaches? Me, too! This Fresh Peach Jam is a tasty (and surprisingly easy) way to enjoy the flavor of ripe summer peaches!
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Last summer, I succumbed to a Facebook advertisement. Facebook always seems to know what I need – even if I haven’t googled the term yet. How is that possible!? A while back, a couple friends and I did a test to see if Facebook was listening to our conversations. That test was inconclusive. No matter the method, Facebook figured out that I love freestone peaches from South Carolina.
I mentioned South Carolina freestone peaches several years back in this peach ice cream post. They are worth mentioning again. (And again…and again.) South Carolina peaches – especially the freestone kind – are the bee’s knees. If you aren’t familiar with the term “freestone,” they are a type of peach where the pit is easily removed with your fingers. You can just slice the peach in half, pull out the pit and you’re all set.
So where does that Facebook ad come in? Well Facebook hammered an ad from The Peach Brothers down my throat. (For the record, I love The Peach Brothers! I just blame Facebook for putting the ad in my face every time I picked up my phone. However, the ad worked on me, so I guess I can’t really complain, huh?)
These guys pick up peaches from orchards in the South and drive ’em 800 miles north. They had several drop off points, and one of the stops happened to be a garden center just down the street from us. I was intrigued, so we drove over to pick up a box.
It just so happened that they had South Carolina freestone peaches at the time. As a Southern ex-pat living in the tundra of upstate New York, I was on cloud nine. I wish you could’ve seen the look on my face! (Well, to be fair, you couldn’t see the look on my face as it was covered up with a coronavirus facemask…but you get the point.) We bought a 25 pound box of peaches, and we ate peaches every day for 2 weeks.
Fresh Peach Jam
All of those fresh peaches led us to start talking about other ways to use peaches in recipes. Remember this Strawberry Champagne Jam from a couple months back? Well I still had some pectin leftover from that project. Laura suggested I make fresh peach jam. It sounded like a fun idea, so I hit the kitchen and about 30 minutes later I had a batch of this jam cooling on the countertop.
If you’ve never made jam at home, then I’m going to challenge you (again) to make a batch. Jam making is almost silly with how easy it is! The only ‘special’ ingredient you need is fruit pectin, and that’s readily available in the baking/pudding/gelatin section at most grocery stores. And the taste of this easy peach jam recipe? Out of this world!
I only needed ~3 ripe peaches to make a large batch of this jam. We use lots of jars of jam around here though. I absolutely love a good piece of wheat bread (preferably the kind with a bunch of seeds) that is toasted with butter and then slathered with jam.
This batch of Fresh Peach Jam was used to make breakfast toast for a couple of weeks, and I loved every single slice. The rest of the jam went to Robbie’s peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I swear that kid is gonna turn into a PB&J sandwich one of these days!
Storing Homemade Jam
We don’t can here in our house – although I have always wanted to learn. This homemade jam can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one month. This peach jam can also be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 6 months.
If you are looking for fun ways to use extra peaches, then put a batch of this Fresh Peach Jam on the list. It’s delicious!
Did you make this Fresh Peach Jam? Leave a comment, or better yet snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). Cheers!
Fresh Peach Jam
Ingredients
- 2½ cups fresh peaches peeled and diced
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp powdered fruit pectin
- 1¾ cups granulated sugar
Instructions
- Using a medium saucepan, add peaches, lemon juice and pectin; mash peaches with a potato masher.
- Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often.
- Once boiling, add sugar and stir until well combined. Bring jam back to a boil, stirring constantly at this stage so the sugar doesn’t burn. (Note: For smoother jam, use an immersion blender at this stage to process mixture until smooth.)
- Once mixture returns to a boil, let boil for 1 more minute, stirring constantly.
- To test doneness of jam, dip a spoon into the hot mixture and pull spoon straight up. If the jam mixture runs off in a “liquidy” stream, then reduce the heat and simmer until the jam mixture drops off in dollops. (Note: I needed to let mine simmer for 5-7 more minutes at this stage.)
- Let jam cool to room temperature and then transfer into an airtight container. Store jam in refrigerator until ready to use.
Notes
Looking for more tasty peach recipes? Check out these other ideas:
To me there’s nothing better than homemade jam! It captures the very best flavor of fresh fruit and every bite and lick is so full of flavor! I’m waiting for fresh peaches to arrive here and I’m making a batch (or two) of this jam! Can’t wait!!!
I totally agree, Kathy! I am super excited about this summer’s peaches. This jam is a fantastic way to use some of those peaches, too…if you can keep from eating them all first! Haha!
Will be making this soon i need to find fruit pectin in Singapore just searched fruit pectin on google need to buy it for this got your tweet on time today i never had peach jam before perfect for my snacks will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
I’m not sure if fruit pectin is available over there in Singapore, Ramya. It’s fairly easy to find here in the US, so I’m hoping you can find some. Once you get that fruit pectin, this recipe is super easy to make – and you can use other fruits, too!
What a peachy idea David. I love fresh peaches and when living on your side of the pond looked forward to them each year. Great straight forward jam recipe.
Have you ever made fresh peach home churned ice cream. I love the color it makes the ice cream and the taste is fantastic.
Take care.
I gather from your comment that peaches aren’t too common over there in your area now, Ron. That makes sense as the best peaches here are “imported” from the South. I think it’s too cold up here to grow good peaches. Either way, this jam is fantastic! And, yes, I have made peach ice cream…it’s a summer favorite. In fact, I posted my recipe for it several years back: https://spicedblog.com/homemade-peach-ice-cream.html
This peach jam looks amazing David! The color is absolutely gorgeous, what a perfect summer jam. And freestone peaches sound like a dream come true, I need to try one! Robbie’s got it made, this jam must make the BEST PB&J’s!
Thanks so much, Shannon! I can’t recommend freestone peaches enough – if you happen to find them in your area, grab a bunch! And, yes, Robbie LOVED this peach jam on his PB&Js. 🙂
I don’t know what about Facebook, but generally these ads could be a bit creepy. Once I was googling some moisturizers for men (30+). And few days later, on my birthday, YouTube and Google were offering me articles and videos on “How to age gracefully for men” and cosmetic for 40+ age. I mean how rude: a) to talk about your age on your birthday! b) while adding extra 10 years or so to your age lol.
Anyway, this peach jam looks and sounds so luscious! Sometimes it’s not easy to find good peaches here in Nova Scotia (as they stone-firm and never get softer), but somehow this June we’ve had some fantastic succulent peaches, imported from the U.S. So I’ll definitely need a little jar of this delightful jam…maybe with a touch of lavender 🙂
Haha – how annoying that those ads showed up on your birthday! I mean I totally understand how the ‘game’ works. Facebook (and others) know what you’ve been googling, so they want to give you more ads that fit your interests. But it is a bit creepy sometimes – especially when you haven’t googled a product but just talked about it instead.
Either way, this jam is easy and has fantastic flavor – I highly recommend a batch! I’m not so sure about that lavender, though. Haha!
Oh I am in! This makes just the right amount, and no canning involved! David, they ARE listening, lol. I was at a party (just before COVID hit Tenn) and commented to the hostess about a beautiful, large wooden tray used for a huge charcuterie/ cheese board. No googling involved, just talking. The next day, not just any large tray, but that exact tray showed up in a FB ad. But you know, I always say I don’t care because I have nothing to hide and it makes my internet experience better, lol. Though I do have blue tape on my computer cameras just in case I’m having a really bad hair day. 😂
I’m with ya, Kim – no canning needed here! (Of course, you have to store the jam in the fridge, but that’s not a big deal.)
Wow, the fact that the EXACT tray showed up in a Facebook ad is a bit creepy. And I hear ya about the camera – I use a separate webcam, and I always make sure I leave it facing down. Hope July is off to a great start for you!
I absolutely adore peaches – we eat our weight in them (and nectarines) in the summer. But guess what? I’ve never made jam with them! Clearly that needs to change. Definitely trying this recipe!
I’m with ya, Marissa – we totally eat our weight in peaches here, too! In fact, I’m picking up the first order of Southern peaches today, and I can’t wait! If you’ve never made a batch of jam, then you need to put it on your list. It’s easy, and the flavor is amazing!
it can be difficult to get good stone fruit here as it doesn’t grow much in queensland except out west where it can be cold, so it has to be shipped up from colder climes down south. So i’m never too keen on eating peaches! but a lovely peach jam sounds very tasty. yep my phone definitely listens to me; i can say something and 20 seconds later it’s showing me that very thing. creepy!! or else it just has ESP – tee hee!
Ah, I totally understand about the climates, Sherry. I don’t think our growing season up here is long enough for good peaches, but fortunately I can get peaches shipped up from the Southern states – and they are SO good! 🙂
Also, I think your phone has ESP. Maybe you should have a ghost hunter come in and look at it. Hah!
Amazing homemade peach jam there David! Jam making has been in family for a long time. But I’m the only one who doesn’t do it! My brother does though and I’m going to highlight this recipe to him because I don’t think he’s made a peach jam yet, and he should. (SO that I can get a couple of free jars too. Ha ha!).
Ah – you should totally try peach jam, Neil! Or perhaps your brother should try it…although I do say that’s incredibly easy to make, so you should try your hand at it. Wouldn’t that surprise everyone if you showed up with a batch of homemade peach jam! 🙂
i didnt receive the newsletter for your spinach artichoke dip and the link is not working it says oops the page not found when i open from my phone pl fix it Thanks Ramya
Thanks, Ramya! Something went wrong with the scheduling function, so the post didn’t work. It’s working now though! I appreciate you letting me know. 🙂
This jam sounds so perfect, David! I agree, South Carolina peaches are awfully good, but we have some pretty good ones here in the Northwest, too! Heck, all fresh peaches are pretty tough to beat, right? However, the local peach season is a bit later in the summer, but you can bet, I’ll be making some jam with 3 peaches! I’m not a big canner, so a single jar seems so much more doable! Thanks for the recipe!
I’ve heard Northwest peaches are good, Laura! I haven’t tried them as we don’t see them over here on the East Coast too much. Either way, I love this peach jam! We don’t can, either, so this jar is the perfect amount of peach jam. I highly recommend it!
This peach jam looks so delicious, David! Will have to give this a try when we’ve got peaches in season here!
Yes! You absolutely need to put this peach jam recipe on the agenda for when peach season arrives up there! The flavor is fantastic, and it really made for some great morning toast. 🙂
So when are you inviting me for a cup of coffee! That thing looks amazing, would love to have some of that specially when freshly baked
Haha – come on over, Raymund! This jam is so easy to make, and it tastes especially good on top of a biscuit. I’ll have the coffee waiting! 🙂
Is this jam able to be canned? I’ve never made jam before and am considering doing a batch from my bountiful dwarf tree harvest to use as gifts. Also, do you know if this recipe works just as well using agar-agar instead of pectin? Looks amazing!
Hey Gina! I’ve never ventured down the road of canning, so I can’t speak to that here. I would suspect that this jam could be canned, but I can’t say for sure. I’ve been tempted to buy canning equipment at various points over the years, but I’ve never jumped into the world of canning. We usually just make a jar and eat it – it’ll last several weeks if you refrigerate it in a jar. However, if you have a bountiful harvest on the way, then that sounds like a good reason to purchase canning equipment!
Similarly, I haven’t used agar, so I can’t say for sure how it would work in this recipe. Here’s a good guide I found on pectin vs. agar, though: https://www.spiceography.com/pectin-powder-substitute/ I hope this helps! And good luck with that harvest this year!
How long does it last in the fridge?
Hey Bobbi Jo! We usually just make a jar and eat it – we’ve found that this jam lasts several weeks if you refrigerate it in a jar. I hope you enjoy this recipe – it’s one of our favorites for summer!!