If you don't take off the peel the jam will be almost "gritty" and not pleasant, besides keeping the bacterial residue that all fruits with peels have in a perfect multiplying environment (canned). Slip the skins by putting them in boiling water for a minute then into ice water for a minute or more. They come right off, if not, redunk.

If you use a food processor or a stick blender to chop the fruit you will have to deal with a lot of foam and bubbles in the jam. Better to just chop with a good sized knife, multiple pieces at a time. However, a better way to chop free stone peaches is to remove the peel, hold the peach in one hand and with the other use a medium length blade knife to go from pole to pole multiple times around the peach (up and down) about 1/2" apart, then make one cut around the axis (or more depending on the size of the fruit) so you will have nice sized pieces for the jam without too much struggling. If you are not sure you can do that bare handed, use a silicone mitt on your holding hand, or kevlar glove, or a few layers of something flexible and non-porous (juices will flow). This doesn't work very well on a flat surface but you could put the peach in a small shallow bowl if you don't want to hold it and use a fork to hold one end of it while your turn in for another cut.

For heating - start with 3/4 of high (medium high) until it comes to a rolling boil, turn the heat down to 1/2 (medium) and add the sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved (lift up the spoon to see if you still have granules on it) and then raise the heat to high and stir constantly to bring it to a rolling boil. Start timing for one minute, still stirring. Take the jam off the stove and let it sit for about 2-4 minutes, stir once or twice. Most of the foam will have subsided and the rest can be taken off with a large spoon. If you aren't concerned with aesthetics you can leave the foam be. I don't like to use butter as some recipes suggest to break the surface tension, as it could turn rancid after opening the jam and storing it for a while.

Some other notes if you are new to making jam: Find a wooden or preferably a bamboo spoon that is straight and flat on the bottom not round like a spoon. It covers a lot more pan surface than the wee tip of a round spoon. Think like Henry Ford - have everything you need ready for assembly-line processing. Use a large measuring cup - like 1 1/2 cup or 2 cup measure to pour the jam into the funnel so you don't waste time re-dipping to fill the jars. You don't need to sterilize the jars for jam, just wash them, rinse well, turn upside down to drain while you are cooking the fruit, and turn them up while you are resting the jam off the burner. They do not have to be hot - they are heat-tempered glass and won't shatter if you put hot jam in room temperature jars. Wipe the rims and threads of the jar with a damp cloth before you put on the lids, and only twist the bands on finger tight.

Nancy

Thank you Nancy. I will try everything you said.

I make a peach chipotle jam that calls for unpeeled, scrubbed peaches, but they are whizzed in a food processor with the chipotles and the pieces are fine. I peel peaches for my other peach jams/salsa/chutneys.

I agree with Nancy about the butter. I don't like the fatty deposits on top. I let my jams sit, stirring once in awhile, until I can see that the chunks are nicely suspended. Gives me plenty of time to skim.

Oh, thank you. Your jam sounds good. I thought I had to 'rush, rush' to get jam into jars and therefore I see tiny bubbles in jars. I do use the scrapper to get the large bubbles out. I noticed when doing strawberry jam it doesn't even matter if I use the butter as it foams up like crazy and takes a full large cupful of foam to get off the top. I also can see if I wait a min before canning that the fruit won't float to top? I'm going to try this. No butter then also for now on. Thank you!!!!!

And, I made dill pickles last year using Mrs. Wages which are good. But, two quart jars blew the bottoms out while in water bath. This year same thing. I thought the jars were too cool when putting in hot water. But, now think that I didn't leave enough head space in and that's why. I'm a beginner and bec money is really tight now, I am wanting to make 'good' 8oz jars of jam for gifts. Thank you again.

Nancy, do you have a copy of the Ball Blue Book? If not, grab one at Walmart or other book store. Cost in about $7-8 and well worth the money. It will guide through canning.

I have an older one. Thank you. I was just corresponding to a gal last night that has made jam for 30 years and never peels them. Uses processor for chopping. I think thou, after reading here, that I will definitely peel mine again. The pieces in the jam were tiny so might make bigger cuts this time. Looks more like marmalade, hahaha.

I make jars and jars of peach jam...I blanch and peel the peaches, and do a quick zap zap in the cuisinart. The cuisinart is designed not to make bubbles and if it does they will be gone in the cooking.
I add the sugar and the peaches to the pot all at once.....start medium, stirring and I leave it on medium....but you know your own pot and stove.
Follow the directions on the sure-jell package for cooking time. You want to cook it long enough to jell but not so long so the sugar caramelizes and turns dark.
I sterilize my jars and do the oldfashioned hot pack...pour the boiling jam into the hot jars and immediately pour on parrafin and then the hot lids Never molds...but I am very careful to have everything that touches the hot jam sterile.

Yum, Linda!

Thank you so much!!

Hi. I just made peach jam again. Here's pics of all the bubbles in jars. Can I give these out as gifts? Did I over stir? I'm going to make another batch in few mins and am kinda frustrated. thanks again.

I don't understand where those bubbles are coming from?? Are you pouring the jam into the jars while it"s hot? Or letting it cool?

Hi. Yes. when I turn off the heat, I take pan off and wait a min or so and skin the foam. Seems when it boils hard that min, it causes tons of bubbles. And, recipe calls for 7- 1 cup jars, but only makes 5. Thinking it's bec of foam? I try to do exactly as the Sure Jell said and nothing has ever not tasted good but just wondering if I should give these as Xmas gifts. I don't think the bubbles move around after sitting. I try so hard too. :)

That looks like foam to me. I get it when I pour the jam into the jar too "vigorously", or ladle from too high. I try to ladle into the side of the funnel so that I don't splash or make any more bubbles. I don't use butter either, but I skim the foam, let the jam sit for a minute or so, stir, skim the foam again, then jar it up. Plus, if you let the jam sit a few minutes, any pieces of remaining fruit will be distributed throughout the jam.

So, the bubbles don't hurt anything, they just aren't pretty.

Annie

Oh thank you. It seemed like even after I skimmed and skimmed, the bubbles were still there. I will next year, pour closer to the funnel as you said. The strawberry jam didn't do that. Thank you again!!

If the recipe says 7 cups and you are only getting 5....something's fishy....is your jam very very thick?

Well, maybe, LindaC, but it depends. I often do not get the yield the recipe says I will, whether the fruit isn't as ripe and juicy and so not as heavy or lots of foam that needs to be skimmed or whatever.

If she's getting that much foam, I'm betting she's skimming pretty heavily.....

Oh, BTW, speaking of jam, I was thinking of you. I found a crab apple tree on the back of the property. Mother is overjoyed, and thinking that crabapple jelly is in her near future!

Annie

Like I said above, when you take the jam off the stove let it sit 2 - 4 minutes, stir once if you need to. Sometimes even 6-8 minutes. The jam won't cool down that much in that time and a stir once or twice may reduce the bubbles even more. There is a dif between bubbles and foam. Foam is on the top, bubbles are throughout like your photo. I had that once years ago and never did figure out why. Now I wait and have not had that same problem. Sometimes I get foam in the jars after they are filled so I wait some more and skim with a teaspoon.

Hi. I'm sorry it took so long. I don't have text but just a computer and just turned computer on. I prep the fruit, measure exactly. This peach jam says 4 cups peaches. I put peach quarters into processor and it comes out like mostly slivers. Some bigger chunks. I pre measure the sugar 5.5 cups, set aside, and then put the pectin, lemon juice and peach pieces in pot and turn to high. When it comes to boil, I add sugar and turn down to med. so it doesn't burn. After sugar is dissolved, I turn back to med/high. Keep stirring off and on until it comes to rolling boil and starts bubbling up with some foam. time for 1 min and take off immediately. And, as you say, waiting 2 mins about and start skimming foam. It takes up about 1.5 cups. Wait tiny bit more and skim more. Seems the bubbles are all thru out jam. by time I put in jars, it's starting to thicken up so hurry at this point. It's nerve wracking to me hahaha. BUT, not giving up. I put canner away for year but if something good comes up, will can more this year. All jars pop too. I wish I could can veggies in water bath but book says not too. I don't have pressure cooker. Thank you for all of you great advice. I so much appreciate it.

Do you measue your fruit before or after the food processor? You should measure after.
And I don't skim right away, I pour the still bubbling jam into the hot jars, tilting the pot so I leave the foam behind. I fill as many jars as I can that way, then skim the foam and ladle out the rest.....and put the foam in a jar for me!....but I never get more than possibly 1/2 cup at the most.
And Annie, I frequently get more yield that expected....so I often am hustling around looking for something to pour that last bit into.....and that's another thing that is for me....as it's not in a sterile jar.

I measure after. I just looked at the peach jam I made first and then yesterdays. One is clear and second batch with bubbles. I 'think' that the first batch I cut up the fruit and second batch put in processor. wondering if the processor made pieces too small. I will get the hang of it. Seems the foam is at top but the bubbles are thru out the jam. I opened one jar with all the bubbles and it taste good but isn't completely set like when I do strawberries. I'm not giving up, lol. Thank all of you again!!

I wonder if the food processor is causing the bubbles by incorporating more air into the fruit before going into the pot?

That's a great question. Maybe I'll make another small batch and chop finely. :)

No....I use the Cuisinart adn don't get bubbles.

I think I pulse it too much. I'm going to buy a few more peaches and try again. I'm hard headed!! Thank you so much.

Well, I have peaches on the porch ripening, and I intend to make a batch of jam with them, so we'll see if I have problems with foam or bubbles....

I've canned 19 pints of peach halves, 23 pints of peach salsa, made a batch of peach fried pies for my darling southern husband, and still have 7 or 8 peaches left out of that bushel!

LindaC, I seldom get more yield than the recipe says, but I often get less. Not just jam, but other canning recipes too.

Like nancyofnc says, it doesn't hurt to let the jam sit, even for several minutes. I find that it not only helps keep the foam at a manageable level, but keeps fruit from "floating" to the top of the jam jar.

Annie

Do you run a small spatula or something around the rim and poke throught he jam to eliminate air pockets befpre you wipe the rims and seal? Those air pockets could divide into bubbles or even cause spoilage. I don't always with more liquid things, but the chunkier, the more I will do that.

I do thing processing may cause more air to be trapped. You'd think it would boil out in the cooking, but maybe not. I made white peach earlier and even thought they foam a bit when cooking, the foam settles down as it thickens. I didn't have anything to skim. I did run the edges and poke through the middles. I did notice the jam bubbling when I removed the from the water bath, but everything settled down as they cooled.

After reading this, I just went and cut up my last few yellow peaches and will make a small batch of jam. I can't remember the last time I made yellow peach jam. I do a white peach every few years.

Thank you!! I have the plastic little knife tool that I run around inside of jar gently. I've not tried white peaches. Sounds good too!! I was wondering if the people that use a food processor do so with 'ripe' peaches also? I was thinking that mine are mostly soft and that's why the peaches are almost but not, tiny piece and not chunks? Very tiny slivers and really soft. I put only a peach or two in at a time, quartered also and pulse about 6 times. I'm deciding to Wed. get more peaches enough to do two small batches and try one more time before season is over. I put my canner away but I just have to try again. Thank you for the great advice!!

Thanks to you, I just made 6 jars of peach jam. I also made syrup, I like the peach syrup on gingerbread pancakes, and so my last few peaches went into jars tonight!

Annie

Yay!! :)

you could cook slices of an old tennis shoe in maple syrup and cinnamon and I would love it!!
But frankly for basic peach jam I prefer the fresher taste of short cooked, pectin added high sugar ;-) jam!

I find that this jam actually has more peach taste than any others I have tried, but you can sub sugar and leave out the cinnamon. All that sugar in a pectin jam washes out the delicate taste of the peaches, IMHO. I've tried every peach jam version out there, since peaches are my favorite fruit. To each his own. Once could get similar results with the "old fashioned" method of making preserves, but they don't have the same consistency as jam either.

I want to try peach jam with cinnamon. Thank you!!!