Gilliland’s Peach Orchard is located in Cleveland, TN and I am pretty sure they have the best peaches in world. People come from all over for their super sweet peaches. I love fresh peaches however, I do not like canned peaches- I think it is a texture thing. So this year I decided to make a run of peach jam. And at the very last minute, I decided to throw in some vanilla paste.
While I would love to tell you I created a sophisticated peach jam recipe, the truth is I followed the instructions on the back of the Sure Jell box. No need to reinvent the wheel. Full disclosure- this is my first time making peach jam.
For this run, I purchased a peck of peaches. The final result was 30 half pint jars of golden goodness. I had no idea I was going to end up with this much, and if I had it to do over again, a half peck would have been the perfect amount to begin this peach jam journey.
You may assume I am going to slather the jam on homemade biscuits, and that is true. But I am also going to use it on cheese boards, add to iced tea, hot tea, ice cream, pancakes and anything and everything else that comes to mind.
Helpful Hint: The easiest way to peel a peach is to drop it into boiling water for a couple of minutes and then straight into an ice bath. This method insures minimal waste. After peeled, I used a hand chopper to dice the peaches into consistent pieces. This yielded 20 cups of diced peaches, 5 quart.
To preserve the jam, I used the water bath method. A good water bath canner, Ball jars, Ball rings, and a canning kit all come in handy.
Peach Vanilla Jam
A beautiful jar of golden goodness.
Ingredients
1 peck of peaches, peeled and diced. Approximately 20 cups (5 quart)
14 cups sugar
2.5 boxes Sure Jell
1/8 cup vanilla
Directions
Bring all ingredients to a boil except the vanilla. Skim any foam that rises to the top. Let boil for 15-20 minutes until it starts to thicken. Stir in the vanilla and fill up the sterilized jars. Water bath for 20 minutes.
[notes]
Make this recipe your own. You could easily omit the vanilla or substitute almond extract.
