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Small-Batch Peach Jam with Vanilla and Lemon

Peach Jam

This peach jam captures late-summer stone fruit at its peak with just four ingredients and a wide, heavy pot. A quick blanch slips the skins off, crushed freestones simmer with sugar and bright lemon juice, and a whisper of vanilla rounds out the flavor. No commercial pectin needed. You get a soft, spoonable set that glows amber in the jar.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 40 Tablespoons
Cuisine: American
Calories: 45
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 3 lb ripe freestone peaches about 8 to 10 medium, firm-ripe
  • 3.5 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice from about 1.5 lemons
  • 1 vanilla bean split and scraped, or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Equipment

  • 1 wide heavy-bottomed pot 6 to 8 quart, stainless or enameled
  • 1 Large bowl for ice water bath
  • 1 Slotted spoon
  • 1 candy thermometer optional but helpful
  • 1 small saucer chilled in the freezer
  • 4 half-pint glass canning jars with lids and bands, sterilized
  • 1 canning funnel
  • 1 Ladle

Method
 

  1. Place a small saucer in the freezer. Sterilize four half-pint jars, lids, and bands by boiling them in water for 10 minutes, then keep them hot until you are ready to fill.
  2. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and fill a large bowl with ice water. Cut a shallow X in the bottom of each peach with a paring knife.
  3. Working in batches, lower the peaches into the boiling water for 30 to 45 seconds, then transfer immediately to the ice bath. The skins will slip off with your fingers or a knife.
  4. Halve the peeled peaches, twist out the pits, and chop the flesh into 1/2 inch pieces. You should have about 5 cups of prepared fruit. Transfer to a wide 6 to 8 quart heavy-bottomed pot.
  5. Crush the peaches lightly with a potato masher, leaving some texture. Add the sugar and lemon juice. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and add both the seeds and the pod to the pot.
  6. Set the pot over medium heat and stir gently until the sugar dissolves completely, about 5 minutes. Do not let it boil until the sugar is fully dissolved.
  7. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil, one that cannot be stirred down. Stir often with a wooden spoon to prevent scorching.
  8. Boil hard for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring more frequently as it thickens. Skim off any pink foam that rises to the surface with a metal spoon and discard it.
  9. Begin testing at 20 minutes. The jam is ready when it reaches 220 F on a candy thermometer, or when a spoonful placed on the chilled saucer wrinkles when pushed with your finger after 30 seconds.
  10. Remove the pot from the heat. Fish out the vanilla pod and discard it. Let the jam rest for 2 minutes so the fruit distributes evenly rather than floating.
  11. Ladle the hot jam into the sterilized jars through a canning funnel, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Wipe the rims clean with a damp cloth, seat the lids, and screw on the bands until fingertip tight.
  12. For shelf-stable jam, process the sealed jars in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes. For refrigerator jam, let the jars cool at room temperature for 24 hours, then refrigerate. The jam will continue to set as it cools.

Notes

  • Use ripe but firm freestone peaches. Overripe fruit contains pectinase, which breaks down pectin and prevents the jam from setting.
  • Do not double the batch. Larger volumes cannot reach a rolling boil quickly enough for the natural pectin to activate.
  • Serve on buttered sourdough toast, warm biscuits, or a spoonful over plain yogurt or vanilla ice cream. It is also excellent on a cheeseboard alongside aged sharp cheddar or manchego.
  • For long-term storage, process sealed jars in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes. Refrigerated, opened jam keeps for 3 weeks.
  • Test the set with the wrinkle test: place a saucer in the freezer before you start. Spoon a bit of jam onto the cold saucer, wait 30 seconds, then push it with your finger. If it wrinkles, it is ready.