County Fair “Grand Champion” Peach Jelly Recipe

I have to giggle a bit at the title of this blog post, but it was too good to pass up. In truth, I’m no great homesteader. To be honest, I usually have no idea what I’m doing. And for the record, I live in a fairly small county. But… that didn’t keep me from reminding my husband daily (or possibly hourly) that he was married to a “Grand Champion” after I won the ribbon for best jelly at the local county fair! All I had to do was glance in his direction and smile and he would look at me and sigh, “yes… you are a Grand Champion… I know.” It was the highlight of my kitchen career… which is really not saying much if you know me. Ha! So take this post with a grain of salt. I didn’t learn from my grandma. This is no great recipe that has been passed down through the generations. I have no prior experience (like none!). I just wing it and, sometimes, I even take the lazy shortcuts (as you’ll see). And well… as it turns out, the peach jelly does actually tastes pretty yummy. So, here’s my humble recommendation on how to best utilize this recipe and blog post… Have a beautiful time making memories in the kitchen with someone you love and then stick out your chest and proudly proclaim, “I made Grand Champion peach jelly today!” Blessings, friends!

What You’ll Need:

When I first started making jellies (only a few years back), I went with the most basic and beginner-friendly methods. Over time, I started adding my own twists and shortcuts to experiment. An added bonus was that it also gave my (now) 5-year-old the ability to be a part of the process too! You’ll find that the ingredients list below is no different than a standard peach jelly recipe, but my methods are bit different.

Ingredients:

5 lbs. pitted peaches

1 1/2 cups water

1 box fruit pectin (not low sugar)

1/2 teaspoon butter

4 1/2 cups sugar

Tools You’ll Use:

1 medium saucepan

1 juicer/ juicing machine (must be the kind that separates the pulp from juice)

1 waterbath canner with jar rack

6-8 jelly jars (1/2 pint, 8 oz.)

1 glass measuring cup

Ladle

Canning tools (jar lifter, wide-mouth funnel)

Cheesecloth

Large glass bowl

Hand towel or bath towel

Let’s Get Started!

This recipe assumes that you have already taken the appropriate steps to sterilize your jars and lids.

First things first, if you haven’t done so already, you’ll want to cut the stones/seeds out of your peaches. (We do not peel or blanch our peaches.) Once you get all the stones out, weigh the peaches to make sure that you have at least 5 lbs. of fruit for your jelly.

Next, process your peaches through your juicer. As indicated above, this must be one of the juicers that separates the peel from the juice. We use this old hand-me-down juicer every year for our jellies and it works great!

This part is my son’s favorite step because he gets to help! I turn off the juicer (and unplug it) and allow him to fill up the chute. Then we replace the cylinder, plug it back in, turn it on, and watch the juice pour into our saucepan. He thinks it’s so much fun and I just love the fact that we get to do it together!

After we process all 5 lbs. of peaches through the juicer, we discard the pulp and move the saucepan of juice to the stovetop. We add the water (1 1/2 cups) and turn the burner to high, waiting for the juice to begin to boil. As soon as it reaches a boil, we reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and allow the mixture to simmer for 10 minutes, pausing to stir it every few minutes.

Side note: During this 10-minute process, I take a few moments to fill my water bath canner (with water) and place it on the stovetop over high heat so that it has time to reach the boiling point. I have a gas stovetop and live at over 7,000′ elevation, so the boiling process takes a long time and starting it here works well for me. I then place my empty jelly jars on the jar rack and lower them into the boiling water to allow them to heat up and ensure that they are sanitized prior to use. To properly sanitize your jars, they should remain completely submerged in the water as it boils for 10 mins (elevation 1,000′ or under) or add an extra minute for each 1,000′ in elevation gain.

Are you ready for my silly take on the next step? Let’s all pause to truly appreciate my method for purifying jelly with a cheesecloth…

… and there it is, my friends. That is how “Grand Champion” jelly is made! If this doesn’t make you say, “I can do that!” then I don’t know what will. Haha!

To break down the magic that you are seeing in the photo above, here’s your next step: Once your saucepan of juice has simmered for 10 minutes, carefully pour the juice into a cheesecloth (we triple-layered our cheesecloth) over a large bowl or large saucepan (pictured). Then, you’ll want to find a way to hang it up for a short bit of time until the dripping slows > insert my wire hanger, (clean) hairband, and Tupperware splash-guard invention. Once the dripping has slowed, or stopped, give it a gentle squeeze to release any remaining juice. (tip: don’t squeeze too hard or your cheesecloth may tear.) Once you are satisfied that you have completed this step, simply discard the cheesecloth and its contents.

(Tip: While the process above is taking place, I usually take a quick moment to wash and dry my medium saucepan for the next step.)

Measure out exactly 3 1/2 cups of juice and pour it into your (clean and dry) medium saucepan. I do not usually have a problem having sufficient amount of juice for this step, but should you find yourself short, you can add up to 1/2 cup of water to get the amount of liquid that you need.

Here’s where I usually let the little guy jump in again… Place your medium saucepan (with 3 1/2 cups of juice) over your burner (but don’t turn it on yet). Stir in your box of pectin and add your 1/2 teaspoon of butter. Then mommy (an adult) takes over again because you’ll want to set your stovetop to high heat and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. (If you are not familiar with the term “rolling boil,” it means that the liquid continues to boil while being stirred.)

Once you reach a rolling boil, stir in your sugar. (…and yes, if you are on your first jelly journey, you are going to be shocked at the amount of sugar that you use, but DON’T reduce it – at least not in this recipe – because it will affect whether or not your jelly sets.) Continue stirring until your liquid reaches a rolling boil again, then stir and boil for one minute more before you remove it from the heat.

Believe it or not… you just made peach jelly! It’s that easy! Now you just have to process it in order to preserve it and prevent any yucky stuff from joining the party later!

After you remove your saucepan from heat, you’ll see some foam form at the top. I usually use a spoon and try to remove some of the foam before starting the next step.

As long as your empty jelly jars have remained submerged in the boiling water for the proper amount of time to ensure that they are fully sanitized, you may now carefully remove them from the water bath using your jar lifter, drain any remaining water from them, and place them on a towel on your countertop.

Carefully ladle your (very) hot jelly mixture into your (very) hot jelly jars using your wide-mouth funnel, filling them to 1/4″ from the top.

Using a clean and slightly damp cloth, wipe the jar rims to clean any drips or other debris that could prevent proper air-tight sealing. Then drop your sanitized jar lid in place (be careful not to push down the middle button of the lid because this will “pop” later to let you know that a proper seal was achieved) and add your jar ring (not overly tight.. just snug enough).

Using your jar lifter, or your hands if the jars are cool enough, carefully lower your full jars into your water bath canner and onto the jar rack. Then, lower your jar rack into the canner until the jars are fully submerged with the water level around 1-2″ above the top of the jars.

Cover your water bath canner with the lid and bring it to a boil. (Do not start timing your processing step until the water returns to a full boil.) The amount of time that you leave the jars to process in the boiling water depends on your altitude. For this recipe, if you live between sea level and 1,000′, you’ll want to process them for 5 minutes. If your elevation is higher than 1,000′, you’ll want to pay special attention to how much time you need to add.

Here is some helpful information that I found on simplycanning.com:

Altitude Adjustments for Boiling Water Bath Canner

Altitude in Feet – increase processing time

1,001-3,000 – increase 5 minutes

3,001-6,000 – increase 10 minutes

6,001-8,000 – increase 15 minutes

8,001-10,000 – increase 20 minutes

When you are satisfied that you met the above processing timeframe, carefully remove your jelly jars using your jar lifter and place them on a towel to cool. As they cool, you will hear a “pop” or “ping” sound that will indicate that the middle button on the lid has been “sucked” down with the pressure change and a proper seal as been achieved. If you don’t hear the pop within the next hour or so, make sure and refrigerate your jelly immediately.

That’s it, friends! You have made your very own “Grand Champion” peach jelly! Now it’s time to enjoy! Want to know our absolute favorite way to enjoy this peach jelly? Grab some of those grocery store fancy crackers and a little brie from the snazzy cheese section, then slap a scoop of peach jelly over the top! Yum-yum! Enjoy!! And as always, many blessings to you and your family!

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