Written by Annemarie D'Alessandro, August 28 2020

As many have noticed, the quarantine days have given people more time to explore new hobbies. I have always loved cooking desserts and other sweet concoctions but working from home has certainly allowed me to be more creative and experimental in the kitchen! This recipe was inspired by the fresh Jersey peaches I purchased from a farm market about a week ago – the peaches were so flavorful but they ripen quick so I wanted to be able to make something that would allow me to have a taste of summer during the colder months. Properly canned jam can last up to 18 months from the canning date, so I figured I’d give it a go and it turned out better than I could have imagined! If you want to take advantage of the last bit of peach season in the Garden State, follow along for the recipe!

Before making your jam, make sure you have at least one Ball Pint Jar on hand. Unless you have unusually large peaches, you’ll need at least 4-6 peaches for this recipe so when you head to the farmers market, make sure you grab a few extra just in case! I also used Jim Beam Rye Whiskey because I thought the spice flavors from the rye paired the best with the sweet peaches, but you can use any whiskey you prefer! Here are the ingredients you’ll need:

2 cups granulated white sugar
3 cups diced peaches
3 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh squeezed or from a bottle)
3 tablespoons whiskey of your choice

Pretty simple, isn’t it? You’ll also need some patience as cooking down the jam does take a while, but it’ll all be worth it in the end.

Begin by halving your peaches then removing the pits and skin. Once halved, I usually cut the peaches in fourths and then dice into smaller pieces from there. As you go, add the diced pieces into a measuring cup and continue to cut up more peaches until you have about 3 cups worth.

From here you can do one of two things: begin to cook down the chunky peach bits or place the peaches in a food processor or blender. I opt for the food processor because I prefer jam that doesn’t have chunks in it, but if you prefer a jam that is more similar to preserves, jump ahead to cooking! 

Great! Now let’s move on to the cooking process. Place your peach chunks or pureé into a medium saucepan. When you start up the burner, ensure that the heat is on medium-low as any higher will make the jam burn. As the peaches begin to heat up, add in two cups of sugar and mix vigorously with a whisk. Next, add in your lemon juice and whiskey and mix well. If you would like your jam to have a heavier whiskey flavor, go ahead and add another tablespoon or two! When the mixture begins to simmer, you’ll notice that it may appear foamy on top – this is exactly how it should look in the beginning!

As the mixture continues to gently simmer, stir occasionally. If you let it sit for too long without stirring, it can begin to burn on the bottom! Another thing I do during this step is observe how the jam drips off of the whisk – in the beginning it will most likely run right off like water, but when it’s close to being done it will begin to drip off of the whisk in thick chunks. While the jam mixture is simmering, wash your Ball jar and lid with soap and warm water. Then, to ensure the jar is sterilized, turn on your oven to the lowest heat setting (mine was around 200°F) and place the wet jar in the oven. After about 10 minutes, the jar should be completely dry and ready to go. At this point, you can take it out of the oven and set it aside until the jam is done.

After a little while, you may also notice that the mixture will stop foaming, begin to produce larger bubbles, and will feel thicker as you stir. This is how you’ll know you’re getting close to the end! At this point, I will take out my infrared thermometer to estimate the temperature of the jam mixture. You can also use a candy thermometer but regardless of what thermometer you use, you’ll want to aim to get the jam up to 220°F before canning. If you don’t have an infrared or candy thermometer, you can determine when the jam is done by placing a few drops on a room temperature plate every so often. When the drop of jam cools, poke it around with a utensil. If it seems too thin and runny, you’ll have to keep cooking the jam more. If it sticks to your utensil and maintains a thick texture, then your jam is ready to go!

Once you jam has reached the right temperature and consistency, you can pour it into your jar, screw on the lid, and mark the lid with the canning date! I don’t usually go through the whole process of canning “properly” to create the seal because it always gets opened right after it’s done cooling! If you don’t seal the jar but store the jam in the fridge, it should stay good for up to 6 months. But if you’re planning on saving it for a while, make sure to follow the Ball process for canning so it can stay for up to 18 months.

I hope you give this recipe a try! With only a few simple ingredients, it’s easy to make and it’ll let you store some summer away to enjoy during the winter. I love that the recipe itself is easy to personalize too – you can use any of your favorite whiskies and you can even substitute some of the white granulated sugar for brown sugar if you love the taste of molasses. Happy cooking!