Peach Jam

One thing I love about summer is that there are so many delicious fruits on sale! Seriously... $1/lb for peaches?? you betcha, I went and got 5lbs of peaches! 5lbs of fruit yielded 10 1/2pt jars of jam.  This has got to be the cheapest batch of jam I have made.

What you need:

• 4.5lbs of peaches; peeled & chopped
• 1/4cup lemon juice (bottled or fresh)
• 4.5cup sugar; divided
• 1 box Surejel No Sugar Needed Pectin
• 10 Sterilized jars and lids/bads

Directions:

1. Sterilize your jars.  I run mine through the dish washer and heat dry. Place the lids in a pot of hot water. 
2. Mush up your chopped peaches; you should have 6cups of mushed fruit when you are done.  
3. Mix in 1/4cup lemon juice making sure the fruit is well coated.  This will prevent the fruit from browning.
4. In a separate bowl, mix the pectin with 1/4cup of sugar.  This will prevent the pectin from clumping. 
5. Place the fruit mixture in a large pot.  Stir in the pectin mixture.
6. Cook over medium-high heat until it reaches a full/rolling boil (one that can not be stirred away)
7. Once the mixture has reached a full boil, mix in the remaining sugar.
8. Return the mixture to a full/rolling boil. 
9. Ladle the jam into the jars, leaving 1/4" of headspace.  Place the lid on top and tighten the band.
10. Process the jars in a hot water bath for 10minutes.
11. After the jars have been sterilized in the hot water bath, place them in a draft free area to cool for at least 24hrs. 

Today is my last day of funemploment.  After 6 long (but fun!) months, I am finally going back to work :) Hopefully I will still have time to craft, make jam, quilt, etc. 

Habanero Apricot Jam

Wow I kind of put this blog off :( but I'm back with a HOT new jam recipe! I got the Taste of Home Canning special issue magazine a few months ago and this recipe really caught my attention. It's not like any of the traditional jams I have made so far. So I finally tried it out. I obviously did not taste test this jam bc I can't handle spicy, but it got my husband's and one of my best friend's stamp of approval!

The recipe can be found online here: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Habanero-Apricot-Jam
The recipe says it yields 11 half-pint jars, but I only ended up with 9.  Im not sure what I'm doing wrong, but I ALWAYS end up with 2 fewer jars than the recipe says it will yield!

Ingredients

• 3-1/2 pounds fresh apricots
• 6 tablespoons bottled lemon juice
• 2 to 4 habanero peppers, seeded
• 1 package (1-3/4 ounces) powdered no sugar needed fruit pectin 
• 4 cups sugar

Directions

• Pit and chop apricots; place in a Dutch oven. Stir in lemon juice. Place habaneros in a blender; add a small amount of apricot mixture. Cover and process until smooth. Return to the pan.
• Stir in pectin. Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar; return to a full rolling boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Remove from the heat; skim off foam. Carefully ladle hot mixture into hot sterilized half-pint jars, leaving 1/4-in. headspace. Wipe rims and adjust lids. Process for 5 minutes in a boiling-water canner.
• For best results, let processed jam stand at room temperature for 2 weeks to set up. Yield: 11 half-pints. 

I normally use these awesome Italian canning jars but I ran out of the half-pint size and got these Kerr jars instead. I like the shape but hate the lid style (lid/band style). These are much cheaper though, so I'll stick with these for half-pint jars since its the smallest Kerr makes.

Here is the finished product!! Notice my new jars...