PEACH FREEZER JAM This recipe is to honor my mother, who I lost this year. She loved canning, baking and gardening and I am proud to say that she passed on the love of all those things to me. One of her favorites was peach freezer jam, made only with the very best free-stone peaches. These peaches only appear in the grocery stores once a year in the fall, and do not last for long. I would not recommend making this with any other peaches, as the flavor will not be as good. The best part is no canning necessary, and the jam lasts in the freezer for months. Please enjoy.! 2 cups ripe, freestone peaches, about 3-4 large peaches, peeled and pitted. 3 cups granulated sugar 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice 1 pkg fruit pectin, 1.75 ounce 3/4 cup water
1. Rinse 6 half pint jars under hot water and allow to dry inverted on a clean kitchen towel. 2. Sterilize the lids in boiling water for 5 minutes 3. Make a small cross on the bottom of the peaches and blanch in boiling water for a few minutes to loosen the skin of the peaches. Remove and plunge into ice water to cool down. With a small knife, peel the skin off the peaches, slice in half, remove the pit, and dice in large chunks. 4. In a food processor, pulse the peaches until they are finely diced, but not pureed. You can chop them by hand if you do not have a food processor. 5. Measure 2 cups of peaches and add to a mixing bowl. 6. Add your sugar, one cup at a time, stirring between each addition until well combined. 7. Stir in lemon juice and allow mixture to sit for 10 minutes. 8. While your peaches are resting, in a small pan over medium-high heat, whisk together water and pectin. 9. Bring to a rolling boil and allow to boil for 1 minute, while stirring constantly. Do not cook this mixture for more than 1 minute, so set your timer. 10. Add the hot pectin mixture to the peaches and stir until all the sugar has dissolved. This will take several minutes. 11. Pour jam into jars, leaving a 1/2 inch space on top. 12. Cover with lids and allow to sit at room temperature for 24 hours before freezing. The jam will last in the freezer for up to 1 year.
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