First, strawberry jam without pectin is one of the more challenging preserves. Generally strawberries don't set well, and while it's possible to make a strawberry jam without commercial pectin, it's not the easiest for a beginner. So don't blame yourself for that failure.

It looks as if you're talking about peach preserves, not peach jam. Preserves like that tend to have a softer set; a preserve isn't meant to be as firm as a jam. With a preserve the ideal is whole pieces of fruit suspended in a light gel.

Also, a commercial pectin preserve is going to have the highest amount of sugar, so especially with out-of-season peaches, there isn't enough natural acidity and fruit flavor. I'd guess the jam is sweet and bland simultaneously.

The Ball directions aren't particularly helpful. I'm guessing the assumption is they're expecting you to use juicy in-season peaches. If you bring the peaches, the lemon juice and the pectin to a boil slowly, enough natural juices would exude from the fruit to form a syrupy mixture. The amount of syrup would be determined by the ripeness of the peaches, the seasonality and the variety.

Then you'd add the sugar and again, I'd recommend adding the sugar a cup or two at a time, getting it combined thoroughly with the liquid and then adding additional sugar. Once all the sugar has been incorporated and dissolved (you can't feel any grit between your fingers if you take a bit off the end of a spoon) you can return the preserve to a full rolling boil for that final minute.

I hope this helps.

Carol

Did you use fresh peaches from the store? Frozen? Canned?

If you used fresh shipped-in peaches, they were too green I imagine. The problem with out of season produce, shipped in is that they often go from unripe to having bad spots without passing 'go'. You'd have probably had better sucess with using a bag of frozen peach slices, letting them thaw and then whomping them with a potato masher to release the juice. Or, using peaches canned in water like a dietetic peach or light sirup. The juice is counted in the four cups, right along with the fruit.

I have been making jams/jellies/preserves for thirty eight years, hundreds of jars of them a year. I probably would have had about the same success as you did, given the raw material. With that type of product, it's all about starting with fruit of the proper ripeness. You did everything right.

The peaches weren't the best I've ever had, but they weren't bad - plenty of peachy flavor, they were just on the hard side. It was cooking them with that 2 tbsp of lemon juice and the pectin that started me off confused. The pectin was just "scorching" - there was no liquid coming out of the peaches at all, so maybe that was the problem. I did have twice as many peaches as I needed and I had already peeled and cut them, so I threw the rest in the freezer hoping, as you said, that freezing then thawing them would help.

I'll have to check again, but I'm almost positive I was following the jam recipe. I did see a peach preserve one as well, but I think I skipped that one and did the jam.

And I did dump all the sugar in at once and THAT started to scorch as I was trying to stir it as well. I'll add it slowly from now on.

I shouldn't have let it boil as long as I did, but again, I was concerned because the pieces of fruit just didn't seem to be softening and breaking down a bit like you normally see in a jam.

I guess practice will make perfect, so I'll have to just try again!!

Thanks for the tips!

Lisa

The peach jam is on page 34 of the most recent BBB and calls for combining chopped fruit, sugar and lemon juice then cooking until the sugar dissolves. At that point liquid pectin is added.

The peach preserves are on page 40 and call for slices, lemon juice and pectin to be combined and heated. Then the sugar is added.

It's easy to get turned around with those recipes. You might have used the peach preserve recipe because it calls for powdered pectin. The jam recipe calls for liquid, which is why the process is different. The two types aren't interchangeable.

It's a learning curve, but you'll get there. And even homemade syrup is good!

Carol

I have noticed a lot of jams people cook in USA use powdered or liquid pectin why is that we never use it ,only the fruit and sugar ,the jams set beautifully even strawberry,is it the variety of the fruit maybe .

Ok - duh! I did mix up the two!! I had powdered pectin, not liquid.

I'll have to find liquid now because I'm bound and determined to make peach jam!!

And I thought the no pectin strawberry jam would be ok since the book said you didn't need pectin. I think my mistake was trying to double the recipe. I won't make that mistake next time!

Lisa

Many sources here list strawberry jam as one that can't be made without commercial pectin. That is incorrect.

Strawberries generally are high-acid and low pectin. However, that does differ from variety to variety and also varies depending upon regional growing conditions. Here in the Pacific Northwest I have no difficulty making strawberry jams without commercial pectin.

There are a lot of us who don't use commercial pectins in most cases. I'm one of them. I only use it for pepper jelly. But even traditional preservers did on occasion use additional pectin - they just made their own from apple or citrus stock.

Carol

BBB isn't the only jam reference, lisa. If you used powdered pectin, the one on commercial packs like Sure Jell work fine with peaches. I buy pectin bulk, and use it with some jellies and not with others, or interchangeably.

If you have powdered pectin, Sure Jell has a website, and on occasion, when making jellies not listed on their site, have called them and talked with a consumer consultant and had directions faxed to me. Like I sometimes do, I had started making a more unusual jelly and had it all ready to fly and set up and discovered I didn't know how to juggle quantities around like I sometimes do to achieve the desired results.

If you do not use pectin, and do boil downs to make your product, I think you have more control over its consistency and I know my MIL who was a farmer's wife didn't have the money to go buy pectins for her massive preserving sprees and did all her jams without it. She was also more about quantity than quality since she had a large family and little money so I can't say she always strived to make the best product, but the most product. But, pectins are not so common in Europe as they are here. My out-laws (SILs mother) in England never uses pectins in jellies or jams.

I have found, however, that I became more comfortable easing into making preserves from scratch without pectins as I evolved in jelly making and got more self-confidence.

I'll have to go online I guess because I've only found one store that even sells pectin and they only have the powder. I live in an urban area and I guess home made preserve making isn't a big thing around here so the stores don't carry anything.

Another question - since the sugar is important to setting the jam and making it safe as well, if I use the no sugar pectin instead, but add about half the amount of sugar as the regular jam recipes call for, will that work? I'd rather not use something like Splenda if I don't have to as one of the reasons I'm trying to make more things myself is to avoid chemicals and preservatives. If I can halve the amount of sugar yet end up with a nicely flavored, as well as safe to store and then eat, jam, that would be fantastic.

Lisa

If you are using pectin...........make the jam exactly as the directions say. Do not deviate on sugar or it will not set properly.

You can buy pectin for jellies specifically meant for reduced sugar jam making. See link

Here is a link that might be useful: reduced sugar preserves

Thank you both so much for all the info! You're so patient answering questions you've probably answered a hundred times already!

I printed out the info from the link you posted calliope - I'll check it out and then try out the no sugar pectin I bought. Thanks again!

Lisa

Lisa, even in your area you may find pectin available seasonally. Check local stores beginning in the spring and throughout the summer. Many stores stock canning supplies, including pectin and Mrs. Wages mixes, but only part of the year.

Good sources of canning supplies would include Walmart and Ace Hardware, not just grocery stores. In fact, in some areas grocery stores are the poorest (and most expensive) source.

Carol

Lisa, if your fruit was hard like that and not juicy and really ripe it will be more firm jam or jelly. The greener the fruit the more natural pectin it has and will be a more firm product. This is why we teach people to use a mix of really ripe and some a bit more green in a batch of jam. This seems to be important with strawberry jam more so than some other types, in my experience.
I just want to encourage you to not give up !!! You will be able to do this. It sounds as though the peaches were not ripe and juicy enough to get the liquid you needed. You do add the sugar all at once when using the powd. pectin. Normally it will dissolve and mix in with the liquid part in the pan, but since you didn't have the right amount of juice it just started burning.
It does depend upon how ripe the fruit is how thick or thin the jam will be. Using fresh, tree picked fruit is ideal, but I do agree, that frozen may be better than what you used.
Well, you are way to far away for me to help in person, or I would try to do more to help. Can you find a friend or someone who could help you through this in person ?
If you try to cut down on sugar in a recipe with pectin it will not gel. You need to use the recipe for each type and brand of pectin. I prefer the powd. pectin.
If you want a low or no sugar jam, learn to use Pomona's Universal pectin. It will gel water. Really it takes no sugar at all to gel. It is different to work with and may take a time or so to get comfortable with it. I am diabetic and use it for my jams for myself. My husband likes it when I make his with SureJel and use the sugar. So, I make both kinds here.
You have learned to not double recipes, however, with Pomonas you can double and triple. You normally have to mail order the pectin from them. They sell in bulk, too. Not just boxes, but they have boxes, too. They even have a helpline you can call. The nicest folks there !! You can even create your own recipes with the stuff. They include recipes and instructions. Check out the link below to help you. You can click and see the recipes, too.
http://www.pomonapectin.com/
You will not get crystal clear jelly with it, but you want jam, anyway. Doesn't matter to me if it is clear or not, even with jelly. I am not entering it in the fair, it is to eat.
Each type of homemade jellied product have a different description. I am also sending you the link to all kinds of good info.
Types of Jellied Products
Jelly, jam, preserves, conserves and marmalades are fruit products that are jellied or thickened. Most are preserved by sugar. Their individual characteristics depend on the kind of fruit used and the way it is prepared, the proportions of different ingredients in the mixture and the method of cooking.

Jellies are usually made by cooking fruit juice with sugar. (Some are made without cooking using special uncooked jelly recipes.) A good product is clear and firm enough to hold its shape when turned out of the container, but quivers when the container is moved. When cut, it should be tender yet retain the angle of the cut. Jelly should have a flavorful, fresh, fruity taste.

Jams are thick, sweet spreads made by cooking crushed or chopped fruits with sugar. Jams tend to hold their shape but are generally less firm than jelly. (Recipes are also available for uncooked jams.)

Preserves are small, whole fruit or uniform size pieces in a clear, slightly gelled syrup. The fruit should be tender and plump.

Conserves are jam-like products that may be made with a combination of fruits. They also contain nuts, raisins or coconut.

Marmalades are soft fruit jellies containing small pieces of fruit or peel evenly suspended in the transparent jelly. They often contain citrus fruit.

Other fruit products that are preserved by sugar but not jellied include butters, honeys and syrups. Fruit butters are sweet spreads made by cooking fruit pulp with sugar to a thick consistency. Spices are often added. Honeys and syrups are made by cooking fruit juice or pulp with sugar to the consistency of honey or syrup.

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This document was adapted from "So Easy to Preserve", 5th ed. 2006.

Here is a link that might be useful: Univ. of Georgia on jams, jellies, etc.