How to make an old-fashioned peach jam

Any excuse will do to make a sweet, tasty jam. Homemade jams are always good sellers at markets, and they can also make welcome gifts. Follow these basic steps to make your own old-fashioned peach jam.

For hundreds of years cooking with sugar has been a simple and delicious way to preserve surplus fruit.  Pectin, a natural substance occurring in fruit and concentrated in the skin and seeds, causes the fruit to set when boiled in sugar. It is best to use slightly under ripe fruit, as the content of pectin is highest at this stage, although a mixture of ripe and under ripe fruit will also usually work. Acid in the fruit helps to release the pectin. Pectin is commercially available, or it can be made at home. However, most jams (like the recipe below) can be made without added pectin.

Peaches grow well in various regions across Canada — southwestern Ontario, the Niagara Peninsula, the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia, in the Okanagan Valley and coastal areas of British Columbia. In the season when supply is abundant, make this delicious jam.

• 3 kg (6.6 lb) firm ripe peaches
• 500 ml (2 c) water
• 45 ml (3 tbsp) lemon juice
• 2.2 kg (9 c) sugar, warmed on tray in oven

1.  Peel and stone the peaches. Put peelings and stones in a saucepan, cover with water and boil for an hour (this releases pectin to aid gelling). Strain and use liquid as part of the measured quantity of water.
2. Slice peaches and put in a large saucepan with the water. Cook gently until fruit is soft.
3. Add lemon juice and warmed sugar and stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved.
4.  Bring to a rolling boil and cook rapidly, stirring constantly, until setting point has been reached. Use a thermometer — the setting point is 105 to 106°C (221 to 223°F).
5. Carefully ladle hot mixture into prewarmed jars, leaving 1.25 centimetres (1/2 an inch) of headroom. Secure lid and immediately invert for about a minute to sterilise the lid and create an airtight seal. Return to upright position to cool. Store in a cool, dark place.