PEACH JAM

Mmm! Don't you just love fresh peaches when they are in season? I sure do! The Lord really blessed me this year with a sweet little peach "crop." I have one lonely peach tree in my side yard, but it bore over 100 peaches this year! Some of them were a little small, but still nice and sweet. I was amazed. The same thing happened with my grape vines - it was a bumper crop. I couldn't even GIVE them all away, there were so many. We harvested the peaches, my daughter, Sarah, arranged them so pretty in a basket. I finally got to them this week, and made up a batch of peach jam. It turned out soooo yummy, that I'm thinking about making another batch, because I just KNOW that most of this one will be used for gift giving.

PEACH JAM

3 lbs fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and finely chopped
Juic of 3 lemons (or 1/3 cup real lemon juice)
7 1/2 cups sugar
1 pouch Certo liquid pectin

Bring boiling water canner, half full with water to a simmer. Wash jars, lids and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling. Prepare fruit. If using food processor, pulse to chop. DO NOT PUREE. Jam should have bits of fruit in it. Measure exact amount of prepared fruit into 6 or 8 quart saucepan. Stir in lemon juice and sugar. Add 1/2 tsp. butter or margarine to reduce foaming, if desired. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in pectin quickly. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with a metal spoon. Ladle quickly into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with 2 piece lid and ring set. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches; add boiling water if needed. *(I use a dutch oven to process my jars of jelly & jam, and it works just fine). Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process jams 10 minutes; jelly 5 minutes. Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger. If lid springs back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours. Store unopened jams and jellies in cool, dry, dark place up to 1 year. Refrigerate opened jams and jellies up to 3 weeks.