Chances are, if you're reading this, Santa will be bringing you peach and/or strawberry jam for Christmas. Depending on how nice you are, that is. The peach jam is strictly limited edition, people.
Here's a basic overview of how we made the jam:
First we scored the peaches on the top and bottome, making an "x" with a sharp paring knife, then we blanched them for 15-30 seconds in boiling water, and set them on a rack to cool off. Once cooled, the fuzzy skins slipped right off.
Next, we chopped and mashed the peaches into a rough pulp, added sugar (per the recipe included in the box of pectin), and stirred in a big pot on the stove.
Once the peaches came to a steady boil on the stove, we removed the pot from the heat, and added the pectin.
After stirring in the pectin, the jam is ready to be poured into the jars. Then the edges of the jars should be wiped clean with a damp cloth, to ensure a good tight seal.
Once the lids and tops are screwed on, the jam jars are then submerged in a "bath" of boiling water. This will create a vacuum seal. The "bath" time required will vary depending on how many feet above sea level you live. Ours took 15 minutes.
Finally, we placed the sealed jam jars on a rack for a few hours to cool off for storage. During the cooling off period, you will hear a popping noise as the sealing process completes. This is completely normal. Before storing the jars, press the middle of each lid. If the lid is flexible and moves up and down when pressed upon, it is not properly sealed, and must be consumed right away or it will spoil.
