Karla’s Pectin-Free Peach & Blackberry Jam with Candied Ginger

This recipe uses the water bath canning method. As always, make sure you are following all safety guidelines outlined by the USDA when canning anything. New to jam making? Check out our Jam Making Basics before attempting this recipe.

This recipe yields five 1/2-pint jars of jam.

1) Instructions for Karla’s Delicious Pectin-Free Jam

Prepare your equipment by filling your water bath canner 1/2-2/3 full and start it heating on your burner. Select the number of canning jars you will need based on your recipe, in this case five 1/2 pint canning jars. I would recommend 8oz. Ball Quilted Jelly Jars, unless you are planning on gifting the jam. Select jars free of cracks, defects or chips.

Wash the jars, lids and bands and all of your tools in hot, soapy water. Sterilize your jars by placing them in the hot canning water for 10 minutes above 185° F. Leave your jars in the hot canning water until you are ready to fill them so they remain sterile and hot. DO NOT BOIL your lids - wash them in hot soapy water instead. It is no longer safe to sterilize Ball canning jar lids in hot water before use.

2) Prepare Your Recipe

Clean and cut up all of your fruit & ingredients before you start cooking. Measure your sugar and/or pectin and lemon juice and place all of your ingredients out on the counter. You don’t want to be measuring or cutting during the cooking process. Adding ingredients at the wrong time or over cooking your jam can lead to a consistency that you weren’t expecting. 

Place your fruit, lemon juice and sugar in the cooking vessel and mash with a potato masher to a rough pulp.

3) Cook the Jam

Turn on the heat and cook on medium-high until desired thickness. Stir continuously to avoid burning your jam (this is why you prepared all of your ingredients ahead of time!) The last 5 minutes of cooking time, add your chopped candied ginger and stir into the jam.

4) Find the Perfect Set

You will quickly learn how firm you like your jams and can adjust your cooking times accordingly. Different fruits have different natural pectin levels so every recipe may set at a different time.

When making a jam recipe with pectin, the recipe is timed so you don’t need to worry about your setting time. For no-pectin recipes like this one, you will need to learn how to find your setting time. Not sure how to tell when your jam is perfectly set? Check out our FAQ How Do I Find the Perfect Jam Setting Time?

When your jam is set, turn off the heat.

5) Fill Your Jars with the Hot Pack Method

Once you know that your jam is properly set and you’ve removed it from the heat, you’ll want to fill your jars for processing using the hot-pack method. Hot-pack is when you fill hot sterile jars (directly out of the hot canning water) with hot food such as your just-cooked jam. Learn more about the hot pack method here.

6) Process Your Jars in the Water Bath Canner for 10mins.

Place the packed jars of jam in your water bath canner with a jar lifter and process the jars in the canning water for ten minutes. When your jars are done processing, remove them from the canner with your jar lifter.

Place the jars on a kitchen towel or other buffer so as not to shock the hot jars by placing them on a cold surface. Once they've cooled down, you’re ready to store them in a cool, dry place until you're ready to start popping them open.

Over to You?

It’s part of our mission here at Mountain Feed to help you make delicious, sustainable, homemade food, more often. Stop by and say hello on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest. Or, as always, you can do it the old fashioned way and come by the store to speak with one of our in-house experts.

If you are not familiar with the water bath canning method watch our water bath canning video workshop. Always make sure you are following all safety guidelines outlined by the USDA when canning anything. Keeping a great journal leads to delicious results! Get inspired by new recipes, expert articles and homemade food adventures in our Monthly Journal.