Extend the summer and savor the juicy flavors of fresh peaches! This easy recipe uses only a few ingredients to produce a supply of bright, sweet peach preserves to enjoy all year. Who doesn’t love a little sweetness on their fluffy breakfast biscuits?
These preserves are so good you will find yourself adding them to your yogurt, muffins, toast, and pancakes. Believe me when I say it is phenomenal as a topping for ice cream.
Why You Will Love These Peach Preserves:
Preserves, jams, and jellies are an age-old method of extending the summer bounty of fruit into the cold days of winter and beyond.
- This recipe is easy and requires only six ingredients.
- The cook time is short, retaining the natural flavor of peaches.
- You will finish with a supply of five pints of peach preserves.
Check out our strawberry fig jam recipe if you enjoy the fresh flavors of jams and preserves. Imagine the taste explosion when it is slathered on our buttermilk barley biscuits. Also, the sweet-tart flavors of our strawberry rhubarb jam are a huge winner, especially when served with a warm strawberry rhubarb muffin.
Ingredients Needed to Make These Old Fashioned Peach Preserves:
This easy, uncomplicated recipe will take 30 minutes from start to finish. You can either process the filled jars in a canner of boiling water or keep them in the refrigerator or freezer as freezer jam.
- Fresh peaches: They should be very ripe and a little soft. It only takes about six of them.
- Lemon juice: The tartness compliments the sweetness of the fruit, and it also adds pectin to the peaches.
- Powdered Pectin: Peaches have very little natural pectin, and pectin is what causes the preserves and jams to ‘set.’
- Table salt: It is incredible how a small amount of salt can balance the sweetness of the preserves.
- Butter: As the fruit cooks, it begins to bubble and foam. The butter helps reduce the foaming action.
- Granulated sugar: Sugar adds that extra bit of sweetness to the fruit and helps the pectin set. It also acts as a preservative.
How To Make This Peach Preserves Recipe:
Processing the filled jars in a canner involves boiling the filled jars of preserves in a water bath for ten minutes. This is an optional step as the preserves will keep in the refrigerator for three weeks or up to six months in the freezer. You should, however, use hot, sterilized jars and lids. Here is a brief overview to give you an idea of what to expect when making our peach preserves. Please scroll down the page to the printable recipe card for the full instructions and details.
- Prepare the jars and lids: Wash and rinse the jars and place them in a 200°F oven to stay hot. Place the lids in a saucepan of simmering water. Do not let them boil in the water, as it will degrade the rubber seal.
- Prepare the peaches: Peel, pit, and chop the peaches. Measure exactly 4 cups of fruit into a large saucepan and mash with a potato masher to a chunky texture. Stir in the lemon juice, pectin, salt, and butter.
- Cook the fruit: Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil over high heat for 1 minute while stirring constantly.
- Add the sugar: Stir in the sugar and return to a full, rolling boil. Boil the mixture for 1 minute while stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and spoon off any foam.
- Fill the jars: Ladle the preserves into the hot jars, wipe the rim and place a lid on each jar.
- Process in a canner or cool at room temperature and refrigerate.
To Process in a Canner:
The advantage of canning the preserves is that they may be stored in your pantry for up to a year. If you choose not to use the canning method, the preserves should be stored in the refrigerator or freezer.
- Place the filled jars into the basket of the canner. If necessary, add additional hot water so the tops of the jars are covered by at least 1 inch of water. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, cover the pot and boil for 10 minutes.
- Lift the jars from the hot water and set them in a draft-free area to cool at room temperature
More Condiment Recipes
- Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
- Red Chili Sauce (Enchilada Sauce)
- Japanese Marinade
- Mole Sauce
- 28 Essential Condiment Recipes
Tips for Success:
- Alternative to mashing the peaches, they can be chopped in a food processor to your desired consistency. If you want to make peach jam, mash the peaches until they are smooth.
- Lemon juice will keep the peaches from turning brown.
- Measure the exact amounts of fruit and sugar.
- Bring the mixture to a full, rolling boil. A full rolling boil means it boils so fiercely that it can not stop while stirring.
- Do not boil beyond the designated time. Overcooking can degrade the pectin and prevent it from thickening the preserves.
- Fill the jars to within 1/2 inch of the rim.
- Wipe away any drips from the rim of the jars before placing the lid and ring on top.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Preserves have chunks of fruit, and jam is processed to a smooth texture. If you want to make peach jam, mash the peaches until they are smooth.
Some fruits do not need the peels removed, but with peaches, the skin is tough and does not break down during the cooking process. Your preserves or jam will still be good to eat if you don’t peel the peaches, but it will have strands of tough skin in it.
We do not recommend doubling a batch of preserves or jam. It does not work well because the larger volume of the mixture will take longer to cook and come to a boil. That increased cook time will affect the action of the pectin and keep it from setting.
There are recipes for making preserves and jam without adding pectin. Generally, the mixture will require more cooking time to get to the setting stage. This longer cook time affects the fresh taste of the fruit. Also, the longer the fruit cooks, the darker it becomes. The advantage of using pectin is the shorter cook time maintains the natural fruit flavor and vibrant color.
Some Other Recipes We Are Sure You Will Love:
Our skillet peach cobbler is loaded with fresh peaches and topped with sugar-crusted biscuits. It’s an old-fashioned recipe that will never go out of style.
Blackberry peach pie is the perfect combination of two classic summertime fruits. Tart blackberries and sweet peaches come together in this delicious dessert.
We can’t let the season pass by without making this easy peach crisp. We topped it with a crumbly oatmeal streusel topping that is so quick to make.
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Peach Preserves
Ingredients
- 4 cups 3 pounds fresh ripe peaches
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 box fruit pectin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon butter
- 5-1/2 cups granulated sugar
- Optional: 1 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
Prepare the Jars and lids:
- Wash and rinse the jars and place them in a 200°F oven to stay hot until ready to fill. Place the lids of the jars in a saucepan of simmering water set on a back burner. Fill a canner pot with water and heat to the boiling, then reduce the heat to low until ready to use.
To Cook the Peach Preserves:
- Peel, pit, and chop the peaches.
- Measure 4 cups of fruit into a large saucepan and mash with a potato masher to get a chunky texture.
- Stir in the lemon juice, pectin, salt, and butter. Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil over high heat while stirring constantly.
- Add the sugar and return to a full, rolling boil. Boil the mixture for 1 minute while stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and spoon off any foam. Stir in the almond extract if desired.
- Ladle the preserves into the hot jars, wipe the rim of the jars with a damp cloth, and place a lid and jar ring on each jar.
To Process in a Canner:
- Place the filled jars into the basket of the canner. If necessary, add additional hot water so the top of the jars are covered by at least 1 inch of water. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, cover the pot and boil for 10 minutes.
- Lift the jars from the hot water and set them in a draft-free area to cool at room temperature.
Notes
- Alternatively, the peaches can be pulse/chopped in a food processor to desired consistency.
- A full, rolling boil is when the mixture is boiling so fiercely that it can not be stirred down.
- Keep the jar lids hot in simmering water, do not boil as it can degrade the rubber seal.
- Fill the jars while they are hot as the temperature change of the hot preserves in a cold jar will cause the jars to crack.
angiesrecipes
Wednesday 28th of September 2022
That looks so very yummy! Thank four for sharing both the recipe and the tips, Pat. angiesrecipes http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com
Pat Nyswonger
Wednesday 28th of September 2022
Your welcome, Angie!