Raspberry Peach Jam

My husband fell in love with some similar jam we paid $8/jar for.  As he was emptying the jar I realized I needed to find a way to make it myself and save us some change!  A local christian teen support group in our area does fundraising by selling YUMMY Colorado peaches - mouth watering, juice running down your arms peaches.  Every year we pick up a box and enjoy every single fuzzy peach!  So, this year I decided to take some and make some jam!  This was my first ever attempt at jam and it turned out wonderful!  One of the best parts, it really wasn't horribly time consuming to make!

Here are some tips on blanching (removing the skin of) your peaches (scroll down to step 6).  I choose to use frozen raspberries (I thawed earlier in the day) instead of fresh because I already had them on hand.  If fresh is cheaper and more available, go for it!  When it comes to mashing, chopping, etc of your fruit - that's entirely based on preference.  If you want a chunkier jam; chop your peaches in small chunks and mash your raspberries (straining through a cheesecloth if you want seedless jam).  Because I am not picky and it took less time, I simply pureed all of my fruit in my VitaMix before putting it in the pot.  A blender, food processer, etc will all do the same job.

This is the recipe I followed, but you'll want to double check the directions on your box of pectin before starting.  I yieled 7 1/2 pints of jam!

Enjoy!

Raspberry Peach Jam

2 1/2 Cups Raspberry Puree
5 1/2 Cups Peach Puree (about 8 large peaches)
6 Tbsp Lime Juice (lemon will work too)
9 Tbsp Classic Pectin
10 Cups Granulated Sugar

Prepare all of your canning equipment prior to starting (waterbath canner, jars, and lids) and measure ingredients for recipe.

Combine fruit puree and lime juice in heavy saucepan.  Gradually stir in fruit pectin.  Over high heat, bring mixture to full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, stirring constantly.  Add all of the sugar, stirring to dissolve.  Return mixture to full rolling boil.  Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and skim foam if desired.  Ladle hot jam into hot jars, one at a time, leaving 1/4" headspace.  Wipe rims (very important step), center lids on jars and tighten bands until finger-tip tight.

Place filled jars in canner (making sure they are covered by 1-2" of water).  Place lid on canner and bring to steady boil.  Once water is boiling, process jars for 10 minutes.  Turn off heat, remove lid, and let jars stand for 5 minutes.  Remove jars and cool (do NOT press down on seals, just let them be) for at least 12 hours.  Once cool, clean your jars and store your homemade yummy jam!