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There is truly nothing better than summer fruit in season, and this peach and strawberry jam recipe combines two of the best into one delicious spread so you can enjoy the flavor for months to come.

I can’t say that I’m always excited about summer – none of us really love sweating the second we step out our doors, do we? But the fruit really makes up for a lot of other inconveniences.

Nothing can top vine ripened strawberries unless it’s tree-ripened peaches.

You don’t need to dress them up, or making anything with them – they’re like a divine dessert all on their own.

But sadly, fruit season is all too short, so the only thing we can do is preserve some of it while it’s at it’s peak seasonal flavor, so we can enjoy it throughout the year.

Hydroponic, or greenhouse fruit couldn’t hold a candle to it.

One of my family’s favorite ways to use fruit all year long is in jam. I like it because it’s easy to make, easy to can, and lasts a long time.

The kids and my husband like it because it tastes to good, and I can’t deny, peach-strawberry jam on buttered sourdough toast is pretty top tier.

Ingredients for Peach Strawberry Jam

Peaches. If we have freestone peaches, I always prefer them, because they’re so much easier to work with. The varieties in Texas seem to be mostly clingstone though, and at the end of the day, they taste just as good!
Strawberries. The BEST strawberries are freshly picked out of your garden or a u-pick farm. But if you don’t have access to your own, don’t be shy about using what you can find, whether that’s at your farmer’s market, grocery store, or even frozen berries, which are more likely to be harvested and frozen at their peak ripeness, near their source than “fresh” berries from a chain grocery store.
Sugar. I use cane sugar. Part of the perk of making your own jam is controlling the ingredients. Turbinado, raw sugar, and cane sugar all work really well. One thing you won’t see on the ingredients list for homemade jam is corn syrup.
Fruit pectin. Strawberries are fairly high in natural pectin, but peaches are very low. I find it simplest to add fruit pectin to my jams. This pectin is derived from apples, which are a naturally high-pectin fruit. This takes all the guess work out of making jam.
Lemon juice. I sometimes also use lime juice, depending on what I have on hand. Either way, the function is to lower the pH of your jam, and balance out the sweetness.

Canning equipment needed for canning jam

Fruits are a higher acid food, which means they are less likely to harbor harmful bacteria.

For that reason, we usually will use water bath canning in fruit-based canned goods, and jam is no exception.

For that, you’ll need a waterbath canning kettle, or a tamale kettle – some sort of stock pot that is quite a bit taller than your jam jars, and that has some sort of rack in the bottom to separate your jars from the direct heat.
You will also need jelly jars. I usually use half-pint, but if you’re a larger family, or use a lotto jam, you may prefer pints or even quarts. There is no wrong size. You do you.
Canning lids. If you’re using new jars, they probably came with lids. If you’re re-using jars, you probably need to buy new lids for them. Please note that you can re-use the rings as many times as you want to. The part that needs replacing is the part that seals. It needs to be free of any nicks, or malformations that can happen when you pry the lid off. I like to order Denali Canning Lids in bulk. They have a money-back guarantee, so they seal well.
Canning Funnel. This allows you to fill the jars up without making a mess.
Jar lifter. This makes it a lot easier to get jars in and out of hot water. You can get by without them, but they do make things easier.

How to Make Strawberry Peach Jam

Cap strawberries, and pull peels from peaches, and take the pits out. If the peaches are ripe, the peel should pull off pretty easily. This can be made even easier by blanching peaches in boiling water for 60-90 seconds, then plunging into ice bath to stop the cooking process.
Crush fruit, or use a pastry blender, bench scraper, or other tool to chop finely, and put in a large (4 quart) saucepan.
Add lemon juice and fruit pectin, and stir until fully combined.
Heat over medium-high heat to a full rolling boil.
Add sugar all at once, and stir until dissolved.
Bring back to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, and boil for one minute.
Remove pan from heat and skim off any foam that has formed on top. You can save this in a bowl or jar to use later, but it’s not appropriate for canning because of all the air bubbles.

To can jam

Sterilize 8 half pint jars, or equivalent, with their lids and rings.
Fill a water bath canner half full of hot water.
Ladle jam into prepared jars leaving a half inch of headspace.
Wipe rims with a paper towel or damp cloth to remove jam drips, and screw down lids and rings firmly.
Place jars in prepared canner. Fill with more water if needed to reach a depth of at least an inch above the jar tops.
Cover with lids, and bring to a rolling boil.
Boil ten minutes, and remove from heat.
Let canner cool at least 10 minutes before removing jars. Cover jars with a towel after removing, and keep covered until jars have fully cooled.
After 24 hours, check for seals, and if needed, wash jars (mine always have mineral build up from being boiled in hard water).
Store in a cool place out of direct light.

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