Adventure #4...Homemade Peach Jam

Bec's son, Jacob....4 years ago, enjoying one of his Grandpa's peaches!
Couldn't resist sharing this darling picture!

Adventure #4 is one of those things that I have wanted to do for several years, but just never got around to doing it...making homemade peach jam out of the peaches that Gary grows in our little family orchard! We always have lots of wonderful, juicy peaches, but we seem to just eat them and eat them, until they are all gone...and NO peach jam! So I was determined that this year would be different!

Daughter-in-love, Rebecca, heard about my plans and since we had made pomegranate jelly and strawberry jam together, earlier in the year, she wanted to be in on this adventure with me! I was thrilled! It is ALWAYS was more fun with another cook in the kitchen, especially a cook like our sweet Bec!

So the supplies were purchased...jars, pectin, lemon juice and sugar... a date was set aside, July 20, and son, Drew, was recruited to watch the kids so we could have a 'kid-free' kitchen for a couple of hours!

The picking began! This was the easy part...there was lots of fruit!

It was a beautiful summer evening when Bec arrived and we headed right out to the orchard and started picking peaches. They weren't huge this year, but they very juicy and so sweet! We picked what we thought we would need, headed to the kitchen, started peeling, chopping, and whirling up the peaches, and got the jars and lids all ready to go. And then we started making jam!!!

I started peeling while Bec got the rest of the equipment ready to go!

Bec did most of the stirring...and she was quite good at it...while I got the pectin ready.

Since this was a first for both of us, we just kept 'hoping' that we were doing it correctly, and we constantly reassured each other that all was well! Bec is always so full of optimism...one of her most endearing traits...we could have been doing it all wrong, and she still would have been encouraging and upbeat! Love that gal!

We made 3 batches that evening...21 smallish jars...of the most beautiful homemade peach jam you have ever seen! That jam will be enjoyed all winter...and my sweet memories of making it with one of my darling daughters, will last a lifetime!

And the finished product!!!