Peach Vanilla Jam

By Barbara Curry on August 26, 2018 in Fruits, Recipes, Sweet Treats

Keep summer around all year with Peach Vanilla Jam. Hints of vanilla and bourbon compliment the naturally sweet peaches. A great idea for a hostess or holiday gift. Canning is easier than you think!

A jar of Peach Vanilla Jam with Hibiki in the background

Summer is NOT over in my book until the peaches are gone, and the orchards in North Carolina still have plenty. Just because school is back in session doesn’t mean we have to say good-bye to summer just yet. I’ve been making Peach Vanilla Jam all summer and I have a large basket of peaches ripening on my counter for another batch. Everyone that I’ve shared this with has raved about it and it’s my favorite of all the jams I’ve tried so far. This has definitely been the summer of jams. I don’t eat a lot of jam, but when I do, I want it to taste like fruit and not just seasoned sugar. Don’t get me wrong, you have to have sugar to make jam, but some of the old recipe books have an equal amount of sugar to fruit, YIKES. After working with the consistency and taste, I finally chose to go with 21/2 cups of sugar for 8 cups of peaches and it seems about right.

The jam alone with just sugar and lemon juice tastes like fresh fruit so don’t think you have to add anything else to it. But if you really want to jazz things up add the vanilla bean and at the end some bourbon. Now if you are not a bourbon fan, start out with a small amount and taste it until you get just the right combination. I don’t like bourbon to drink but I love the milder flavor of Hibiki for flavoring. Of course you can leave the bourbon out all together and just make Peach Vanilla Jam. You don’t have to can this, if that seems too much for you, just freeze it. I promise that canning jam does not have to be scary.

How to make jam:

Start out with a canning pot, you can get one on Amazon for $25, it’s really nice for other things, like making a seafood boil. The supplies that you can order for $10 are handy. Fill it with enough water to cover whatever size jar you are using and bring it to a boil. This can take a LONG time so start this first. If it comes to a boil before you’re ready, just turn off the stove and keep it covered. Then when you’re ready, it will only take a minute to heat back up.

For this jam, you can either make it chunky or puree it in a blender or with an emulsion blender depending on how you like your jam, but you will start out with small chunks of peaches and then mash them with a potato masher as they heat up. Once you’ve added the sugar they will need to cook until it thickens. This can take from 15-25 minutes depending on how juicy the peaches are. You’ll know it’s done when it is slightly thickened and it sizzles when you pull the spoon through it. How’s that for being precise! It will thicken more as it cools.

While the peaches are cooking and your water has boiled, add the jars to the boiling water to sterilize them for a few minutes. Then take them out and place them on a clean towel to dry. For the lids, I scoop out some boiling water and put it in a small pan and just put my lids in that for a few minutes. Then take them out and place them on your clean towel to dry.

When the jam has thickened pour it into your jars, wipe the rims clean with a paper towel and then place the sterilized lids on top. Screw the outside ring on but not super tight. Place them in your pot and boil them for 5 minutes. Remove and let them sit on the counter, you should hear the lids pot as they seal. If the lid doesn’t pop then you will need to refrigerate and eat right away. So far mine have all sealed.

I hope the amazing flavors of this jam will inspire you to try your hand at canning, it’s so much easier than I thought it would be and now I have enough jam to enjoy all year and enough to give away as gifts.