Peaches are no longer an exotic fruit, but they grow only in the southern regions of the country. The fruit is delicate, does not stay fresh for a long time, and is excellent for preserving for the winter. During heat treatment, peaches retain their beneficial properties throughout the winter. You can quickly make peach jam at home. There are a sufficient number of blank options. You can supplement the recipe with different ingredients, which will highlight or diversify the taste of the jam.
Features of quick preparation of peach jam for the winter
To prepare peach jam for 5 minutes, you need to take into account the nuances that make the dessert very tasty:
- The fruit has a seed that is tightly fused with the pulp. To extract it, it is recommended to use a tablespoon with a sharp nose or sharp edge. Such actions are taken if the peach is large. Small fruits can be boiled whole - it all depends on the recipe.
- When choosing hard fruits for dessert, it is recommended to initially blanch them. To do this, the fruit is placed in boiling water for 5 minutes, and then cooled in cold water. To prevent the peel from bursting, you need to pierce the peach in several places with a toothpick (when the peach skin is a mandatory ingredient for making jam). Scalding allows you to remove the skin if the recipe calls for it.
- The fruit is very sweet, so you should carefully introduce sugar into the dessert so as not to get a cloying jam flavor. Sugar is always used less in weight than peaches.
- To obtain more juicy jam, whole fruits or halves are pricked using a pointed stick. This will allow them to soak in more syrup. The fruits are completely filled with syrup, in which they are infused for 6 hours.
- The kernels of the fruit seeds give a special taste and aroma. They are added whole or crushed during the 4th boil.
- The final taste of the jam is affected by the foam formed during boiling; it must be removed.
- The dessert becomes thick and tasty when it sits in the refrigerator.
It is important to consider that the dish takes a long time to prepare.Its preparation includes 3-4 approaches with standing for 5-6 hours. The final stage is to add 1-2 grams of citric acid or 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. This will allow the dessert to last longer.
How to choose the main component?
In order for the fruits in the dessert to retain their beneficial properties and the jam to turn out delicious, it is important to choose the right fruit.
It should be quite ripe and moderately firm, but not overripe. To determine ripeness, the peach is lightly squeezed in your hand. If it is unripe, there will be no fingerprints and the fruit will not smell.
Peaches that have damage in the form of wormholes should not be taken for cooking.
The best fruits for jam are those that ripen from August 15 to September 15.
Preparation of containers
You need to prepare containers for processed fruits. To do this, wash the glass jar with soda solution and rinse well in hot water.
Before filling with jam, the container must undergo a sterilization process, which can be carried out:
- by placing the jar with the neck down over the kettle for 25 minutes;
- in the oven. The jars are placed in it, neck up, for half an hour. The oven gradually heats up over 30 minutes and then turns off. Warm dishes are immediately filled with jam.
Peach jam recipes
There are a large number of recipes. You can try different options.
Classic recipe for peach jam “Five Minute”
To prepare the dessert, you need to take:
- sugar – 1.5 kg;
- peaches – 1 kg (peeled);
- water – 200 ml.
Take a container and place the peaches in half. Pour granulated sugar with water and, stirring constantly, wait until it boils. Send the boiling syrup to the fruit.
Then carefully mix the ingredients and pour the syrup into the container in which it was boiled, bringing it to a boil again.Pour over the fruit again. Repeat this process 3 times.
Afterwards, pour the dessert into jars, seal tightly and leave to cool under a blanket.
Option without water
To prepare the dessert you need to take:
- 1 kg of peaches;
- 1 kg sugar.
Cooking process.
- The fruits are washed, peeled, and cut into slices.
- The fruits are placed in layers in a container, sprinkled with sugar and exposed to the cold for 5 hours (refrigerator, cellar).
- Place the container on the fire, bring the mixture to a boil, cook it over low heat for about 2.5 hours.
With melon
List of required ingredients.
- 1 kg melon;
- 400 gr. peaches;
- 600 gr. Sahara;
- 5 gr. cinnamon;
- 2 clove buds;
- 20 ml alcohol.
The melon is washed, peeled and cut into small cubes. Peaches are washed, pitted and cut into slices. The ingredients are mixed. They are sent 50 ml of water with sugar. Bring all this to a boil and set aside for up to 4 hours.
Then add cloves and cinnamon to the ingredients, bring everything to a boil and leave for 4 hours. Then the jam is boiled until it thickens. Alcohol is poured into the dessert, everything is mixed well, and the jam is put into hot jars.
Where and how to store?
If the jam is well prepared, the jars are sterilized, and the lids are undamaged, its shelf life is one year. The jam should be stored in a cool place (cellar, refrigerator, basement), out of direct sunlight.
