Homemade, natural and without pectin, this three-ingredient french peach jam will be your new jam favorite.
I am sharing a recipe, tips, and tricks on how to make an all-natural peach jam further below.
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TL;DR
Homemade Jams in France are still very much the norm, and the French technique involves cooking the jam in a clean environment without canning the jars at the end.
I am a great homemade jam lover, and today it shall be my mum's french peach jam recipe, which is, of course, without artificial pectin.
To get up in the morning and to receive my daily dose of inspiration, I prepare something that we in French call a tartine.
It's basically a bread slice covered with butter and jam, just that in my case I completely and always skip the butter so that I am left with a slice of sweet homemade jam.
This peach jam gives you a taste of a French tartine for breakfast!
Ingredients
This jam is all natural, traditional and includes only fresh fruit and sugar.
- Peach — the freshest peaches that you can find. Frozen peaches can be used as well. That can be regular round peaches or flat Saturn-type peaches. I used garden-fresh peaches that we harvest by mid-August in the Austrian alps.
- Lemon or Lime — Citrus fruits naturally contain a good amount of pectin, which helps your jam to set (and that prolongs its shelf life). We use the freshly squeezed out juice and the lemon or lime halves because the skin has all the pectin. For that reason, you need to use only lemons or limes that have not been sprayed with pesticides. Some countries label organic lemons as pesticide-free.
- Sugar — Normal sugar. Sugar helps in preserving your fruits. If you skip, switch sugar or reduce the quantity, your jam won't last.
If you switch the sugar with honey or some other sweetener, be prepared to eat the jam within days. Sugar is the best jam preservative.
How to make it?
Making jam with fresh peaches is super easy! I have outlined the steps below so that you get an idea how it's done from scratch.
The complete recipe with measurement options and detailed steps is located at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.
Step 1
Rinse fruits to get rid of impurities and pat dry. Cut into half, take out pit.
Cut peaches into quarters and take off the peel with your fingers.
Weigh fruits.
Step 2
Place fruits, sugar, lemon juice and lemon halves into a large jam pot and stir.
Bring to a rolling boil and simmer.
Cook down until fruits appear glossy and translucent.
Step 3
Take out lemon halves and blend jam to desired consistency.
Leave to simmer until set.
Test if set with ice-cold plate by dropping hot jam on the plate. If it doesn't run, it's set and ready.
Step 4
Pour jam into clean jars.
Pour rum or other liquor into lids to kill germs, close jars with lids, and turn upside down to create a vacuum.
📖 Recipe
French Peach Jam Recipe
Ingredients
For the Jam:
Instructions
- Rinse peaches and pat dry. Cut into half and take out the pit. Cut further into quarters and peel your peaches.2.2 Pounds Peach
- Weigh Peaches.
- Place peeled peaches into a large jam pan. Add sugar, lemon juice, and the cut squeezed out lemon halves.3⅓ Cups Sugar, 1 Lemon
- Stir the ingredients together and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to simmer for at least 40–50 minutes, or until the fruits appear glossy and translucent.
- Take out the lemon halves and discard them. Blend your jam with a hand blender to desired consistency.
- Keep the jam to simmer further until the jam has set. Test if the jam is set by dropping hot jam on an ice-cold plate. Move around the plate to see if the cooling jam is running. If it's running, cook further down and repeat the test until it's set and you are satisfied with the result.
- Before you fill the jars with the jam, drop little rum (or other liquor) into the lid. That will help in keeping the jam germ and mold growth free.
- Fill your clean jam jars with the hot peach jam, close well with the lid and turn the jar upside down.
- Keep them upside down for a few hours and then store them in a dry and cool place and keep away from direct sunlight. If you live in a humid tropical climate, please store the jam in the fridge.
Notes
- 1 serving = 1 teaspoon, 80 servings = about 3 jars of jam, roughly.
- Use untreated lemons (no pesticides) to add to your jam. I prefer fresh fruits vs. bottles lemon juice because I don't know what they add to those bottles.
- Don't reduce the sugar quantity in the recipe. Sugar helps in preserving your jam and if you reduce it, your jam won't last (which beats the purpose of a fruit preserve). The fruit and sugar ratio is perfect as is!
Equipment
- Rum or other liquor
Nutrition
Flavor Variations
You can flavor your homemade peach jam by adding any of the following ingredients to your jam during the cooking process:
- grated ginger for an oriental or fall flavored jam
- chopped jalapeño for a hot spicy version
- rum or any other booze like whiskey or vodka
- pinch of spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, and vanilla
Storing
Make sure to work in a clean environment and use only sterilized jars. You can sterilize your jars and lids by boiling them in hot water to kill all germs.
If you followed my instructions with the rum in the lids and the turning upside down, your jam will last for at least 1 year.
You can also preserve your jars further by canning them, but it's not a must. This adds another layer of safety.
The French method (which is common in Europe), simply calls for turning your jars upside down.
That creates a vacuum, and that is how it's still done today in France. Water bath canning is only done with whole fruits in France and neighboring countries.
Store your jam jars in a dry place, away from direct sunlight and heat, on a shelf or in your pantry.
Once you open a jar, keep in the fridge (because you unsealed it, and you used a spoon in it).
FAQs
You can use a tasty peach variety that you enjoy, preferably fresh or also frozen.
I don't leave the skin on the peaches because we don't like the texture of the skin in our jam, but if you like, you can keep the skin on. It's up to you!
The riper, the better, but the fruits shouldn't be spoiled. Spoiled fruits result in a jam that doesn't keep well. Use only healthy ripe peaches to make a peach jam. Hard peaches are not a great choice because they are difficult to peel. Ripe peaches are easier to peel.
Lemons are high in natural pectin, that includes the juice and mostly the skin. Pectin helps in setting your jam. For that reason, I add lemon juice and the lemon halves (which I remove after the cooking process) to my jam recipes. Besides, lemon juice compliments the peach flavors.
Your jam is runny if it didn't set properly. Additionally, keep in mind that peaches are super low in natural pectin, so the jam takes longer to cook down to setting point. If your jam is, runny, take it back to the heat and cook it down further until set. Test if set with the help of an ice-cold plate. Drop some hot jam on the cold plate and move it around. The jam will cool down instantly, and you will be able to see whether it's still running or not.
Your peach jam is dark, if you cooked it down too much. This can happen when you are preparing jam for the first time or when you thought your hot liquid jam wasn't set. Jam when set will always appear liquid when hot. Only when it cools down, it will show its true consistency. Nonetheless, dark peach jam is still good and tastes great, it's just darker.
