Fruit preserves are whole fruit preserved in a sweet syrup. Peach preserves are a lovely addition to your food storage pantry. These peach preserves make a great topping for pancakes, waffles, ice cream, and any number of other items.
Makes: 9 half-pint jars
4 Cups Blanched, Peeled, Pitted and Sliced Peaches
7 Cups Sugar
2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
5 tablespoons Pectin
1/2 Tsp Butter (Optional)
Preparation to Make Homemade Peach Preserves:
Prepare your water bath canner by filling it about halfway full with water and place it on the stove on medium heat.
Place your jars in the oven to heat up at 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
Blanch, peel, and cut peaches in half lengthwise; remove the pits. Cut Peach halves into 1/2 inch slices. Measure 4 cups of peach slices.
Cook the Peach Preserves:
Place in a large pot: peaches, lemon juice, pectin, and the optional butter to reduce foam.
Bring the mixture to a boil, add sugar and return to a boil. Maintain a boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Skim off foam if necessary.
The jam pot featured here is a nice big one that will help keep you and your stove safe from boiling preserves.
Fill Your Jars with Peach Preserves:
Ladle the hot Peach preserves into hot jars, leaving 1/4-1/2-inch headspace.
Remove air bubbles. Clean the jar rim. Center the lid on the jar and adjust the band to finger-tip tight. Repeat until all of your jars are full.
Process the Jars of Peach Preserves:
Place the filled jars into the water bath canner. Make sure the water covers the jars by at least 1 to 2 inches. Adjust heat to medium-high, cover the water canner, and bring water to a rolling boil. Process half-pint jars for 10 minutes. Adjusting processing time for your altitude.
Once the jars of Peach preserves are done processing turn off the heat and remove the cover. Remove the jars from the water bath and place them spaced out on a towel on the counter. Cool 12 to 24 hours. Check seals. Label and store jars.
