The jam would have been fine, but I was paranoid about it setting right - so I overdid the pectin a bit. I think it will work just fine baked in a coffee cake, but as jam it is a bit too firm.
I know my mother always used pectin, and I’m sure my grandma did too. I believe you can make something like pectin using apples....but I’m fuzzy on that.
I guess Certo has a “low or sugarless” liquid pectin out now. I will try that next time as I do not want SEVEN and A HALF CUPS of sugar in one batch of jam. I only put 5 1/2 cups in this batch, and the flavor is very nice, but it’s also why I over did it on the pectin. I was afraid it wouldn’t set if I cut two cups of sugar from the recipe. I didn’t know about the “low sugar” pectin till I was reading the insert while I was cooking the peaches.
I have much better luck using the liquid Certo pectin by the way. More predictable results.
Well, wish me luck!
We just got a T-storm warning with possible big hail.
I ran out and grabbed off all the tomatoes that had any color at all, and a bunch that didn’t. Threw some plastic over as much of the tomatoes as I could manage even though it will just be blown right off.
Also grabbed three acorn squash, a doz. cucumbers well very ready to be picked anyway, and a quart of green beans. Oh, and two nice bell peppers.
Think I’ll go cover my three whole cantaloupe.
Peach jam sounds heavenly (jams shouldn't need as much pectin) and I agree with you to try to reduce the sugar, using so much just to get it to set.
Sounds like you've been VERY busy. Nice assortment of fruits and veggies you've got going there. I'm an apricot freak and sacrificed my poor old crooked but healthy apricot tree to the power company. It was a standard, and I couldn't get at the fruit because it was on the top, picked up what I could off the ground if the ants hadn't gotten it too badly. Moorpark. Often the frost would get the blossoms, but that had the best apricots I ever had the years I did get any.
Hope the storm wasn't as bad as it sounded like it could be. I don't see how hail could do much damage to acorn squash lol. Good luck with your jars. Only somebody who's tried canning knows how much work it is. I think that's one reason I never had a full garden. Just canning tomatoes, corn and grean beans I was burned out but I was working a lot of those years.
My mom always bought a lug of peaches and canned them. Some of this is just too expensive unless you get a good deal at a farmer's market or grow it yourself or people will just give it to you. Those smaller white peaches used to be more available around here, free for the asking, people didn't bother with them. You have to slip them into water after peeling or they brown fast or use that other stuff. Those were exquisite. My mom canned a lot, one of my first memories canning beef during the war. Canned beef is delicious if roasted slowly first but I never tried it.
There is nothing at the store as good as home canned tomatoes.