Jam With This Healthy - Delicious Homemade Peach Favorite With Calorie-Free Sugar Added. Only 5 Ingredients used in this Southern Favorite Savory And Naturally Sweet Peach Jam.
The secret is in the sweetness of the peach. There is nothing like taking a bite out of a fresh Georgia peach. Sweet and juicy peaches that drip over your chin when you take a bite from one of the 40 varieties grown in the “Peach State”. It’s no wonder why these delicious fruit are my husband’s favorite. Peaches have natural sugars that create their signature sweetness. They also contain acid that forms a sour tang which is great for canning.
For this recipe, we used a calorie-free sugar substitute that worked perfectly for this fantastic Peach Jam. Amazingly with these peaches, we needed less sugar than most recipes require. But you can also option for cane or regular sugar for added similar results. We just wanted a few less calories in this recipe. The recipe is remarkable and very naturally sweet. If anyone knows about the varieties of peaches and their sweet and delicious taste, it’s my wonderful husband. A few decades ago, his father would sell these sweet and tangy fruit commercially from the back of his pickup truck and in front of their grocery store. The truck still sits on their family estate, full of past peach stories and memories. I recently learned so much about this special fruit from my husband.
Clingstone Peach
Clingstone peaches are the best option for making jam or other peach desserts. Their extra-sweet flavor and soft texture creates a delicious fruity spread for your favorite toasted bread or biscuit. The flesh cooks down into a smooth jelly, so once the pit (large seed) is removed, the finished product should be ready for canning. We used freshly picked clingstone peaches for this delicious jam recipe. Clingstones are also great for smoothies and naturally sweetened juices.
Freestone Peach
If you like to bake your peaches but into a warm, comforting dessert, look for yellow freestone peaches at your Local. Yellow peaches have a sweet and tangy flavor that balances out sugary baked goods. Freestone peaches have flesh that easily separate from the pit, making them ideal to eat, bake or cook with and not to mention the easiness to cut into slices. They are easy to prepare for canning or fresh frozen storage. Freestone are also known for their juicy interior and sweet flavor. Yellow freestone peaches are delicious and easy to eat whole with slightly less juice. The pit comes right out, so you can safely enjoy the entire fruit without spilling the sweet juice all over your body. Most of your Yellow Can Peaches on supermarket shelves are of this variety.
For this recipe and a few other peach favorites, desserts or sauce suggestions from my Kitchen, stay tuned, I’ve got you covered in peaches. Enjoy!
Special tip:
-Lemon juice will keep peaches from oxidating (turning brown) while adding some brightness to the peach Jam.
-Peach jam without added pectin needs to be cooked up to four times longer to reach the gel stage, likely resulting in a much sweeter, less fresh-tasting jam.
-if not using added pectin, be careful as to not scorch your jam from the continuous boiling and avoid overheating. Boil in short cycles until your peach preserve reach the desired gel thickness.
-Cornstarch - Another plant-based thickening agent, cornstarch is a great substitute for pectin.
-Gelatin - For non-vegan menu items, you can substitute gelatin for pectin, but it will likely yield a different texture.
-Difference between Peach Preserves and Jam? Fruit preserves are a lot like jam, but they're slightly thicker, and the addition of large chunks or whole pieces of fruit instead of chopped, crushed, or puréed fruit. You'll usually find large bits of fruit suspended in preserves, as well as seeds, in many cases.
The Best Peach Jam Ingredients:
✅ 3 pounds of ripe peaches or 6 cups
✅ 4 cups Granulated No Calorie Stevia or your favorite sugar alternative. (Optional-Regular Sugar can be used with this recipe for similar results)
✅ 2 tbsps lemon juice
✅ 1/2 tsp cinnamon
✅ 1 pack pectin or 1.75oz (optional)
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes
Total Time: 26 minutes
Serving: 6 half-pint jars