Recently I worked on making various jams for a few days…I did a post ( HERE ) about the Strawberry Jam.
It required commercial pectin which is quite expensive. The following batches do not, so they are more cost effective. I loved making these 3 jams! The taste of homemade jam is extraordinary.
After I made the Strawberry Jam I wondered if there was a recipe online for a Strawberry-Peach jam. I found one HERE. The only thing that I did differently was that I processed my jars in the canning kettle for a longer time period than the recipe suggested, and I did a small batch; half of the recipe. I also don’t use the thermometer…there is something called “the sheet test” and I just went by that.
I liked this Strawberry-Peach jam so much when I tried it the next day that I went out to the farm for another round of strawberries so that I could make more.
I do want to stress that there is no way I would go to all of this trouble unless it was with fruit straight from the farm / local produce that is in season. I wanted to capture that essence and flavor to savor for the rest of the year. While I have canned tomatoes in the past, and made fresh grape juice, this was my first experience with making jam from local fresh fruits and now that I have tasted the results I’ll do it forevermore :)
The next recipe was for Peach Jam, taken from the book “Food in Jars” by Marisa McClellan and that turned out very well. I had my grandchildren and family here for a Sunday dinner, and we had a jam-tasting session later on. We also had some other children here and when it was time to request which jam they would like to take home, they requested the Peach Jam.
I made one more batch, again taken from the “Food in Jars” book, called “Small Batch Mixed Stone Fruit Jam” but at that point I was so happy with how well the jams were turning out ( and tasting ) that I doubled the recipe.
For that recipe I used cherries ( and the children’s “Cherry Chomper” that I’d purchased last year to pit them ) very small fresh local plums, local nectarines, and peaches.
When my youngest son stopped over in the midst of a jam-session, he asked me if I was bored or something…why was I doing this ? I told him that he’d be appreciating it all winter long when we had family dinners here. Not long after that, his friend stopped over to meet him here, saw all of the jars and goings on ( in other words, a huge mess :) and said “MY mom does this! You are preserving! ” :) He then informed me that she had him carry the racks of jars from the kettle to the table and he was a nervous wreck when he had to do that. :)
These jams are delicious. Here is the peach jam on one half of a biscuit and the peach-strawberry on the other.
Here is the stone fruit jam.
If you have not made jam before and would like to try it, the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving is a good reference to have on hand. That is probably available in most libraries.
“Food in Jars” by Marisa McClellan is a great book or just for fun you can visit her blog. I read her blog in the past and knew that I’d order her book someday. I do not regret it for an instant and intend to try many more of her recipes down the line :) The “sheet test” that I mentioned earlier and all basic information in regards to canning and preserving is in her book.
The ingredients needed for the peach jam ( the children’s favorite ) are :
5 cups peeled, pitted and chopped peaches
3 cups sugar
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 packet liquid pectin ( WHICH I DID NOT USE…I just cooked and stirred longer :) It is not really necessary to use this pectin if you just cook the jam for awhile longer in this recipe.
The ingredients needed for the Small Batch Mixed Stone Fruit Jam ( I doubled this ) are:
3 cups pitted and chopped stone fruit ( any combination of fruits with pits ) I referenced what I used earlier in the post.
2 cups sugar
zest and juice of 1 lemon
( by the way I have no clue what zest and juice mean: I just cut my lemons in half, squeezed the juice out, got rid of the seeds, and put it into the pot with the fruit ! :)
One more thing : if you have never made jam and want to try a small batch, you don’t need to can it as long as you keep it in the fridge. So don’t let canning hold you back. You would need to can or freeze for large batches but if your family can go through a batch in a month or so you are safe to try it and put it into the fridge. I can assure you that these taste so good that your initial batch will be gone in no time.
Sharing at :
Dwellings the Heart of Your Home
Your jams look so delicious! I’ve only made grape jam one time in my life but my mother was a canner and a preserver! We ate her good stuff all winter long. Do I spy some freshly washed Pyrex? :) Thanks for popping in to see me.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)
This was just cruel! I have not had any breakfast yet this morning and I am officially starving — and I can guarantee you there is nothing as good as your jams out in that kitchen. They just look delicious!
they really are. they were quite a bit of work for a few days time but what a difference from commercial grocery store jams and jellies. they have so much taste to them! i’ll do them every year now ….i am hooked ;)
Oh wow, these look sooooooo good. Thanks so much for the recipes and the know how. I will definitely make some. What fabulous gifts too. Thanks tons for linking to Inspire Me. Hugs, Marty
Hi Debra,
LOVE LOVE LOVE your pics of summer picks!! You are really jamming in that kitchen, my creative friend! I would definitely go for the strawberry; it’s my favourite, but they all look so delicious! Again, you are pure inspiration!!
Thanks so much for the beautifully styled, scrumptious scenes!
Poppy
Delicious! I made peach-strawberry a few years ago, must try again!
I’m able to get pectin in bulk, which is a huge money saver, but it does affect the taste after a while, I think.
I made plum jam one year, using the Little House Cookbook. The skins are high in pectin and the jam was very good.
We’ve been making our own jams and jellies for years, and my children are now jam-snobs. They will go without rather than eat store-bought.
Well, I’m off to Amish country to buy peaches this week – you have me drooling now!
Can I come over?
Balisha
Looks fabulous! I would like to make plum jam, but have never done it….must be brave! Enjoy your tasty work :)
Oh, if we only lived closer. I’d trade you fresh fruit and produce for some of your delicious looking jam. :-)
Oh my! This is making my mouth water. I love the flavor or homemade…so much better. I can’t eat sugar any more so I eat spreadable fruit. It comes closer to the true fruit flavor I remember from home made! Sweet hugs!
Your jelly and jams looks so pretty, thanks for sharing. Kay
Your jams sound delicious! I tried making jam for the first time last weekend but it all turned into a messy, sticky disaster! I will need to give jam-making another try once I recover from that disaster!!! The strawberry peach jam sounds so good!!!
You’ve done a lot of work on this jam project. Mrs. Jim makes preserves and doesn’t use pectin either. Hers always turn out great. Keep up the good work. I will be over soon with some biscuits.
..
YUM homemade biscuits! :) It’s a date …tell Mrs. Jim I’ll get the coffee or tea on! :)
Triple yum!!
They look so delicious! I love homemade jams.
Oh my, your jams look wonderful! What a charming picture they make all stacked up. I especially love the sound of the strawberry-peach! It’s so pretty.
Thank you for sharing at my HOME and have a beautiful day.
Blessings,
Sandi
Some morning next winter when you open one of those, summer will come rushing back and make you smile!
My late aunt from Spokane used to do lots of jams and canning in the summer. it is something i would love to learn.
These look amazing. I would have loved to have taste test each of them.
Thank you for sharing your jams with us at TTF! These looks so yummy! I’m a strawberry gal myself!
Linda
I love making jams – it just seems that I can never find the time to do it! Yours look delicious! Thanks for linking up to Give Me the Goods! Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof
MMMM I love jam but don’t know how to make it.
Your jam looks delicious Debra. I just made strawberry and raspberry (the freezer version). I do love peach jam. Haven’t tried str. peach, yum! A lot of people when they get older quit canning, but I still enjoy doing a little. Hoping to get enough tomatoes to do Salsa this year because we are out. Thanks for sharing with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
Oh goodness, your jams looks so delicious!!
Oh my ~ looks so delicious!!!
Big Hugs,
Susan and Bentley
Good for you – they look delicious! I’ve never made jam….maybe someday!
Thanks so much for joining in this week.
xo
Claudia
I did not know you could make jam without canning it. I am going to the farmer’s market Tuesday. When I get home I am making Jam.
Smiles, Dottie
How inspiring!
I made some jam way in the past.
You’ve inspired me to do this again!
I love the idea of making so many jams without pectin!
I’ve only made a few like that.
I suspect this would really make the fruit flavor shine through!
Thanks for a delicious link for the letter ‘I’.
A+
I love making jam without pectin and these jams look delicious!
Your jams are beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing them with us at the HomeAcre Hop! We’d love to have you back again tomorrow: http://wp.me/p2urYY-144
[…] After the holiday excesses, a light supper of fried cauliflower, a salad, and a slice of cornbread was delicious. But better yet, the next day, which was a rainy, dreary Sunday, was brightened with a cup of tea, cornbread, and homemade Stone Fruit Preserves. […]
Have you ever had any kind of jam or preserves made with tomatoes? My mom used to make it, and I’m afraid of all the kids, me and my dad were the only ones that enjoyed it. I want to find a good easy recipe similar to yours, but with tomatoes.
hi Jack…no I have never made any with tomatoes, sorry :)