Photography is not something I talk about a lot on the blog. I guess I just take it for granted, but it’s such an important part of a food blog. Photography is what people see first. The pictures have the important job of drawing people into a post, which is not something that even a flashy recipe title can do. It also gives people an expectation about what the recipe will look like when they cook it at home. So it really is an important part. The photograph, in many cases, is just as important as the recipe. And, honestly, my images haven’t always been pretty like these of this delicious freezer jam. In fact, some of them have been downright ugly.
Now, I’ll be the first to tell you that I am no expert. When it comes to food photography, I am self-taught. Despite a black-and-white photography class in college where I developed my own film and a short stint when I pretended to be a portrait photographer, my experience has been limited. But I love food photography. It’s nice to shoot things that (normally) don’t move, and don’t even get me started on food styling. That’s another thing that I’ve grown to love. To me, photos should be natural, beautiful and mouth-watering. The styling should also be natural. You won’t find me using any fancy styling tricks when I shoot my food (or when we shot the images for the book). Everything is the real food that I cooked myself. I want your dish to turn out and look as close to mine as possible, so I don’t use any of those tricks like using mashed potatoes for ice cream or putting lipstick on strawberries to make them look brighter. My food is the real deal.
So, what got me started on this tangent about photography and styling? These beautiful images of this freezer jam. Now, my mama taught me not to brag, but, dang, aren’t these images pretty? I just love how they turned out and couldn’t pick which ones to use, so I’ve got five or six here that I just had to include.
Now, about this freezer jam recipe … y’all absolutely have to try this. There’s not any of that time-consuming jar sterilizing, so it’s super easy. And y’all know about me and easy. It’s nothing like canning and because you don’t cook it, your fruit won’t lose any of its delicious fresh taste. I made five 8-ounce jars in less than one hour, and the flavor is really fantastic. I’m pretty sure I prefer this to jam and jelly canned the old-fashioned way. Several important things to keep in mind: You need to use freezer-safe jars that will allow for the cold temps and the expansion of the freezing jam – since the freezing part is what preserves it. And you’ll need to make sure you’re using instant pectin. You should have no trouble finding it in your grocery store or a store like Walmart or Target in the canning section.
I just had some of this for breakfast this morning, and these pictures still make my mouth water. It really is super delicious!
Note: This recipe worked perfectly for me. However, after a few comments about the jam not setting I did a little investigation. It seems the issue is bigger than just this peach freezer jam. A quick scan on several other blogs that use instant pectin and consumer sites that sell it reveals quite a few comments about trouble getting it to set. Now, like I said, it worked perfectly for me, but there may be some issue with instant pectin. I just want you to be aware before you spend money on all the ingredients and end up with peach soup – though it will still be delicious. Of course I want you to make all of my recipes, but it wouldn’t be honest for me to tell you others haven’t had problems. Just looking out for y’all. I’m going to continue to see what I can find out.
Peach Freezer Jam
Prep time: 45 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Servings: Five 8-ounce jars
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds fresh, ripe peaches
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 5 tablespoons instant pectin
Instructions
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Peel and coarsely chop the peaches.
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Place them in a bowl of a food processor and pulse until you reach a chunky puree. (Don’t have a food processor? Simply use a potato masher to mash them up in a large bowl.)
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You should end up with about 3 1/2 cups of puree.
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Pour the puree into a large bowl, add the lemon juice and stir well.
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Add the sugar and stir until dissolved.
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Gradually add the pectin to prevent lumps and stir very, very well. (I like using a whisk here for this part.)
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Spoon the jam into clean jars with tight-fitting lids, ensuring you leave about 1/2 inch of space at the top of the jar to allow for expansion in the freezer.
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Allow the jars to sit at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes to set.
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Store the jam in the refrigerator or the freezer.
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The jam will last in the refrigerator for three to four weeks and in the freezer for about a year.
Note
You can use any freezer-safe jar in any size for this. There are some really great plastic freezer jars available, or you can use standard jelly jars with lids and bands like I did. If you don’t think you’ll go through 8 ounces of jelly in three weeks, just use the smaller 4-ounce jars and keep the rest in the freezer.
This recipe originally appeared on SouthernBite.com. For more great recipes, visit the website or check out ”The Southern Bite Cookbook.”
