Peach Freezer Jam (Honey-Sweetened and Pectin-Free!)
Several weeks ago (when it was still summer!) the kids and I took a little trip to a local farm to pick peaches. We love picking berries, peaches, apples, or anything, though we don’t get out to do it as often as I’d like. It can be a bit of an adventure with my toddlers! This year Lily picked quite a few peaches on her own, which was pretty exciting. She kept asking if they were apples or onions, which was cute. She also tried to make a run for it several times, which is something we’re working hard to change. I’m sure other special needs mamas can relate to this particular issue. If you have a “runner” you know there’s an added element of stress to any outing. Nonetheless, the kids had fun. I even took my real camera and got some photos of them! I’ve decided that I was far more talented at photographing other people’s children than my own 😉 These days I kinda take what I can get.
**Due to recent experience with stolen images, I have removed personal photos and videos.**
Along with cute photos of my favorite kids, we got 16 pounds of peaches. This sounds like a lot, but it doesn’t seem like a lot as you’re picking. Then of course, you get home and you have a big box of peaches that need to be dealt with because you know they won’t get eaten before they go bad. So, I googled how to freeze peaches since I couldn’t remember if I needed to blanch them first. I also looked up recipes for freezer jam.
While there are no bread recipes that work for my toddlers at the moment, this jam is a tasty addition to homemade yogurt. I, on the other hand, enjoyed it quite a bit on sourdough toast with butter 😉
I found there weren’t many recipes that met my criteria of being sweetened with honey and pectin-free. Most jam recipes use sugar and pectin – neither of which are allowed on the GAPS diet. The only sweetener allowed is raw honey. And, there are a number of health benefits to including gelatin in your diet, not the least of which is the potential to help heal leaky gut and inflammation. So, while gelatin isn’t necessary, as you can find recipes that just cook the peaches down longer, why pass up an opportunity to include more gelatin in your diet?! So, when I wasn’t able to find just what I wanted I made my own recipe. I use freezer-safe jelly jars. I buy this vanilla bean powder, which I love! I even add it to things like smoothies, and a little bit goes a long way. I used 1 tablespoon of gelatin for about 7 cups of puree/liquid. This resulted in a nice texture – not too firm, but held together nicely for spreading. I don’t feel that I’m an expert on making jam, but I’m going to include the basic instructions below since it will probably be next summer before I make peach jam again and I won’t remember how I did it 😀
- 6 cups of diced peaches
- 1 cup of raw honey (more or less, to taste)
- lemon juice (to taste, start with just a little and add more if necessary)
- 1 vanilla bean (optional)
- pinch of salt
- 1 T. gelatin
- Note: To easily peel the peaches, drop them into boiling water and then into ice water. When they are cool to the touch, peel.
- Mash up the peaches or put them in a food processor for a smoother consistency.
- Split and scrape the vanilla bean.
- Reserve about ¼ cup of the peach juice.
- Place peaches, vanilla bean and vanilla bean contents, half the honey, pinch of salt in a saucepan on the stove. Bring to a boil and boil for about a minute. Reduce heat and allow it to cook until it's a nice consistency. Taste and add more honey and lemon juice to taste.
- Add the gelatin to the reserved peach juice and mix into a paste.
- While the mixture on stove is still very hot, add the gelatin paste and stir until completely dissolved.
- Remember to remove the vanilla bean pod. Pour mixture into jars and refrigerate. Once cool it can be frozen (if you used freezer-safe jars) or kept in the refrigerator. I read somewhere that gelatin thickened jam doesn't store well with traditional canning methods.
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