July 2, 2019 Featured

Peach Preserves Recipe {No Pectin}

Perfect Peach Preserves Without Pectin.

Canning peach preserves is a perfect way to enjoy the taste of fresh summer peaches all year long! This simple peach preserves recipe does not contain pectin, allowing the taste of fresh peaches to take center stage.

{This recipe was originally published in August, 2016. Republished in July, 2019}

Here in Colorado, most of our peaches are grown in the western part of the state, in an area called The Grand Valley. The Grand Valley’s climate of hot days and cool nights is perfect for producing famously large, sweet, juicy peaches that are incredibly delicious.

We look forward to Colorado peaches aaaaallllll year. But, as you might imagine, our growing season is relatively short. Sometimes we get lucky and have a year when Colorado peaches are available for an entire month. Other years, the really good ones are only available for a couple of weeks.

And, even though nothing can compare to eating a fresh, ripe peach, standing over the sink, juice dripping down my chin, I do try and preserve and freeze as many as I can. Because opening a jar of peach preserves on a cold, dreary January morning is sometimes just what the doctor ordered.

What’s the difference between Peach Preserves, Peach Jam, and Peach Jelly?

Jelly is made from fruit juice rather than whole fruit. It has it’s place, but it’s not what I’m looking for when I want to preserve the fruit itself. Jam and preserves are very similar and the terms are sometimes used interchangeably. The big difference between the two is that jam uses crushed fruit, while preserves uses whole chunks.

Both jam and preserves are made from fresh fruit and sugar, and sometimes contain pectin, a naturally occurring substance in certain plants and fruits like apples and oranges.

There’s nothing wrong with using pectin in jams or preserves. But, it can interfere with the taste of the fruit slightly and using too much can create a somewhat jell-o like consistency. So, I prefer to just not use it if I don’t have to.

Even though peaches contain very little natural pectin, I find it’s not necessary to add additional pectin as long as you allow the peach preserves to cook long enough. A long, gentle simmer concentrates the peach juice, intensifying the flavor and creating a thick, delicious syrup surrounding all those delicious peach pieces.

A couple of things to keep in mind before making peach preserves…

As the peach juice concentrates and thickens, it will start to splatter a bit. This can’t be helped, but can be painful and messy if your pan is not deep enough to (mostly) contain the splatters. So, use the largest saucepan as you have. And, maybe wear long sleeves. 😊

It’s also important to use a saucepan with a thick, heavy bottom to prevent the peach preserves from burning. I use a large enameled cast iron dutch oven. If you don’t have a heavy, thick bottomed pan, it’s ok – just make sure to stir your preserves quite frequently to prevent scorching.

This recipe includes instructions for canning the preserves, but you can skip that step and just store the preserves in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks if you plan to use it quickly. If you want to make a large amount of peach preserves, I’d advise making successive batches rather than doubling this recipe. Not only would you need a very large pan to cook a larger batch, the increased amount of juice will mean you have to cook it much longer, causing the peaches to brown and start to loose flavor.

How long does it take to make Peach Preserves?

The total time really depends on how juicy your peaches are. The juicier the peaches, the longer your preserves will need to simmer in order to reach the jell point. Just be patient. It’ll be sooooo worth it.

If you’re using a pan with a thick bottom, you don’t need to stand over your stove stirring all the time. In fact, at first you’ll only need to stir every once in a while. As the mixture begins to thicken, you’ll want to stir more frequently to prevent scorching, but there’s no need to stand there stirring the whole time.

If you’ve never made preserves or jam before, it’s easier {and more delicious!} than you think.

This recipe is truly simple, requiring little else than chopping peaches, stirring them from time to time, ladling the preserves into jars and boiling them to seal.

Besides, when you are sharing jars of peach preserves with your closest friends at Christmas, or slathering a piece of toast with fresh peach preserves in the middle of February, you’ll be so glad you did.

Slather Peach Preserves on…

Use Peach Preserves to Make…

More ways to preserve the season…

Useful equipment:

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Peach Preserves is a Building Block Recipe. Building Blocks are tried-and-true recipes that I find myself coming back to time and time again, sometimes to make them exactly as is, and sometimes as a starting point for something new. -> More Building Block Recipes.

If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or take a picture and tag it #ofbatteranddough on Instagram.

Happy baking!