Reduced Sugar Peach Jam Preserve Recipe

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Undeniably, this reduced sugar peach jam preserve will bring back memories of a warm and sun-kissed orchard in the heart of summer, where the fragrant scent of ripe peaches fills the air. We designed this jam canning recipe to be a testament to the beauty of simplicity. The result is a jar of peach jam preserve that captures the essence of the orchard itself. With every bite, you’ll taste the vibrant, sun-ripened peaches, their natural sweetness balanced by a subtle tartness brought by lemons used in this recipe. It’s as if you’re biting into a piece of summer, preserved in time to be enjoyed year-round.

Peaches used in this recipe

To begin with, we are not fans of homemade peach jams. By and large, peach jam preserves and especially reduced sugar peach jam preserves are notoriously difficult to make! However, as the peaches we bought were beginning to turn, we decided to salvage them and made this jam. Surprisingly, the result was delicious. If you’re on the same peach-saving mission as us, then dealing with fruit bruises is the name of the game. Be sure to give those blemished parts the boot!

In truth, we tinkered with preserving cubed and sliced peaches in the past years. Frankly, two jars of those peach preserves are still sitting on our preserve shelf. Why, you ask? Well, the preserved peaches ended up more stewed than jammed. In our books, that’s not that good.

We strive to make all our preserves low in sugar. Unquestionably, this one has the most sugar we have ever added to a preserve. Even with this higher sugar level, our peach jam still stands as the least sugary among all those other peachy spreads out there.

Homemade Peach Jam Recipe

This homemade reduced sugar peach jam preserve is the essence of summer in every spoonful. So, spread a little sunshine on your day, and indulge in the sweet simplicity of this peach perfection.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Resting TimeResting time 3 hours hrs

Mason Jars 3 x 8.5 oz. jars

Equipment

• large pot
• wooden spoon
• food processor
• potholders, oven mitts, trivets for hot dishes

Ingredients

  

• 5 lb peaches
• 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 pouch of powdered pectin, approximately 4 tbsp, from 49 g. to 57 g., any brand
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 large lemons, juiced + zested (optional)

Instructions

 

Prepare the Peaches:

• Thoroughly wash the peaches. Keeping the skin on, remove any bruising.
• Slice peaches into chunks large enough to fit into a food processor. Crush peaches together with the skins.

Mix and Steep Peach Jam Mixture:

• Take a large, heavy-bottomed pot and combine the crushed peaches, sugar, entire pectin packet, vanilla, juice of two lemons, and optionally, lemon zest. Stir the mixture thoroughly to ensure all the ingredients are well incorporated.
• Allow the Peach mixture to sit for approximately 1 hour. This resting period will enable the sugar to dissolve and the flavors to harmonize.

Cooking the Peach Jam Preserve:

• Place the pot over medium heat and bring the peach jam mixture to a gentle boil. Be sure to stir frequently to prevent sticking.
• Once the peach jam mixture reaches a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low. Continue cooking for around 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Skim off any foam that forms on the surface.
• After the initial 20 minutes of boiling, turn off the heat. Leave the peach jam uncovered and allow it to rest for about 2 hours, or even overnight. This allows the flavors to intensify.
• Return the pot to the stove over low heat. Gradually bring the peach jam to a second boil. Once it is boiling again, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Let the jam simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Stir regularly.

  (!) Peach jam has a tendency to scorch, so stirring is crucial. During this time, the jam will thicken. However if after 30 minutes the jam does not reach the desired consistency, you may want to cook your jam for another 10 minutes.
• (!) While the jam is cooking, begin preparing the Mason jars. It's important to have your jars ready at this point, because the next step, filling them with piping hot jam, must follow immediately.

Keyword Crushed Peach Preserve, fresh Peach Jam, homemade peach jam, Peach Jam Recipe for Canning, Peach Jam with Pectin, Peach Jam with Skins, Peach Preserve, recipe of jam with vanilla, Shelf Stable Peach Jam, Traditional Peach Jam

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this peach preserve a jam or jelly?

Unquestionably, the age-old mystery that has perplexed humanity for generations: the difference between jam, jelly, and preserve. Basically, it’s like the ultimate brain teaser, right up there with “What came first, the chicken or the egg?” In truth, we’re not here to throw another log on the opinion bonfire – heaven knows it’s already blazing. Nah, we’re more like food detectives, making sure you know what’s going to end up on your plate if you make this recipe.

Jelly’s Deal: Jelly’s mostly fruit juice, low on pulp. But this recipe? Undoubtedly, it’s not that. Our jam’s packing some serious fruit pulp power.

Preserve Confusion: Some say chunks are the preserve’s secret code. Be that as it may, any fruity spread with sugar-cooking mojo earns the “fruit preserve” badge in our dictionary. Still, this recipe’s all about crushed peaches.

Jamming Out: In our kitchen rulebook, jam and preserve are a tag team. However, some think crushing is the jam’s VIP pass. Guess what? Since our fruit’s crushed, so for all those card-carrying definition fans, yep, this is a recipe of a jam.

How can I increase size of this jam batch?

To scale up the batch, simply double or triple the ingredients. When doing so, ensure you use an adequately sized pot to maintain a jam layer no deeper than 5 inches. You’ll also need to extend the cooking time for each cooking round by 10 minutes and stir the jam more frequently to prevent scorching at the bottom.

Can I decrease the amount of lemon juice in this peach jam recipe?

While peaches are naturally acidic fruits, we strongly recommend refraining from modifying the recipe in a way that would affect the final product’s acidity level. If your goal is to enhance the sweetness of the jam, you can increase the amount of sugar used in this recipe. However, if you do, it won’t be a reduced-sugar peach jam anymore.

Does this peach preserve need to be refrigerated?

In short, the answer is “No”. Our reduced-sugar peach jam is shelf-stable. However, once you open a jar of this or any other homemade jam, you need to refrigerate it.

How long is this peach preserve good for?

If properly processed, we expect this homemade peach jam to last for a minimum of two years.