I know this might sound sacrilegious to some but I’ve never really been a fan of large meals for breakfast. Sure a big ole plate of greasy bacon, eggs, and hashbrowns is often just what the doctor ordered when I’m *cough* hungover *cough*. But on a normal day, I’d much rather eat something small, and wait a couple of hours for lunchtime. Honestly, all I really need is a slice of toast and some butter, or if I’m feeling fancy, some fruit preserves/jam. And since peaches are still in season I figured why not take the time and make our own peach preserves.
What are preserves?
Like most people, I have always used the terms jam, jelly, and preserves quite interchangeably.
I mean they’re all fruit spreads right? They achieve the same goal!
But no, there are differences, and if you ever plan on making your own jam/jelly/preserves you should probably understand the distinction between each. And while one could get very technical about what makes them different it basically comes down to this. Jelly is made with fruit juice, jam is made with pureed fruit, and preserves are made with chunks of fruit.
To add pectin or not, that is the question?
Pectin is the chemical substance that allows jam, jelly, and preserves to solidify. And without it, these things would basically just end up as a thick syrup instead of a spreadable paste. So in short, yes, you need pectin!
But that’s not really the question I asking here. What I’m referring to is the fact that many recipes call for the addition of raw pectin powder. Which is something that I have never quite understood.
Why?
Well, it’s because pectin naturally occurs in fruits folks. And I don’t mean this in some hippy-dippy way of “YOU GOT TO KEEP IT NATURAL MAN!”. It’s just why add something when often it’s not needed?
Now to be fair there are some fruits that have lower amounts of pectin than others, case in point, peaches. Luckily there is an easy way to add extra pectin without the need for raw pectin powder, citrus juice. And today the citrus juice will be lemon. Not only is this a cheap and easy way to add pectin, but the lemon juice really adds more depth to the normal preserves.
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- If you want to make peach jam instead of preserves then simply puree the peaches in either a food processor or blender instead of cutting into small chunks.
- Peach preserves will store in your fridge for roughly a month. However, if you are planning on making a big batch and want to store them for longer you will need to can them. So if you want to learn how to do that then I suggest you check out this link.
- You could add some depth to the preserves by adding spices like cinnamon, allspice, or nutmeg.
- If you like this recipe then check out our recipe for four berry jam.
Peach Preserves Recipe
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
Servings: roughly 4 cups of preserves
Ingredients
3 Lbs of Peaches
The juice from 2 Large lemons, should be 6 tablespoons
1 ½ cups of Sugar
Instructions
- Prep the peaches: Wash each peach and remove the skin with a peeler. Then cut off the flesh of each peach from their pits. At this point simply cut up the flesh of the peaches into either medium or small sized chunks depending on how chunky you prefer.
- Macerate the peaches: Place the chunks of peaches in a large pot along with the sugar and lemon juice. Mix everything together and let it sit for 30 to 45 minutes. The sugar will macerate the fruit by drawing out its juices, so don’t skip this step.
- Cook the preserves: Place the pot over high heat and let it come to a boil.
Then reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer for roughly 40 to 50 minutes, making sure to stir every couple of minutes. However, it might take longer than 50 minutes, you will know that it is ready when the mixture sticks to the back of a spoon.
Also, be mindful that it will thicken after it cools and sets up.
- Once the preserves have cooked and become thick to your liking, quickly turn off the heat and transfer the mixture to jars. Then you can either store these jars in your fridge for up to 1 month, or you can properly can them for long term storage.
Peach Preserves Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 Lbs of Peaches
- The juice from 2 Large lemons should be 6 tablespoons
- 1 ½ cups of Sugar
Instructions
- Prep the peaches: Wash each peach and remove the skin with a peeler. Then cut off the flesh of each peach from their pits. At this point simply cut up the flesh of the peaches into either medium or small sized chunks depending on how chunky you prefer.
- Macerate the peaches: Place the chunks of peaches in a large pot along with the sugar and lemon juice. Mix everything together and let it sit for 30 to 45 minutes. The sugar will macerate the fruit by drawing out its juices, so don’t skip this step.
- Cook the preserves: Place the pot over high heat and let it come to a boil. Then reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer for roughly 40 to 50 minutes, making sure to stir every couple of minutes. However, it might take longer than 50 minutes, you will know that it is ready when the mixture sticks to the back of a spoon. Also, be mindful that it will thicken after it cools and sets up.
- Once the preserves have cooked and become thick to your liking, quickly turn off the heat and transfer the mixture to jars. Then you can either store these jars in your fridge for up to 1 month, or you can properly can them for long term storage.
