It is peach season in Utah and I’m still experimenting with making the best peach jam ever! I’ve recently started using weight to determine the amount of sugar to add to jam recipes instead of cup measurements. For fruits like apricots, peaches, and sweet cherries, I’ve been measuring the weight of the processed fruit in grams and then dividing that number by 4 to get the amount of sugar needed. Last year I made peach jam using 15 pounds peaches and then 4 cups of sugar and that jam was delicious and lasted for the year. This year I was curious about the differences if I used weight, well luckily 15 pounds of peaches, peeled, pitted, and chopped will come out to approximately 4,000 grams and 1,000 granulated sugar is about 4 to 5 cups, so my original recipe was spot on! I’m just glad to be using weight in grams to make my jam in the future as it is more accurate.
Speaking of accuracy…I think it is interesting here in Utah, that we identify peaches, not that they are peaches, but often times by the type of peach. We are all familiar with different types of apples: gold delicious, red delicious, honeycrisp, granny smith, etc. However, grocery stores only sell “peaches”. Where’s the variety? The first peaches in Utah are often Redhaven, hearty peaches with a firm texture, which makes them great for canning. Other peach varieties are John Boy, Diamond Princess, Rosa, Early Elberta, Lemon Elberta, Johny Henry, Angelus, O’Henry. Diamond Princess peaches are some of the sweetest peaches and are best for eating straight. Lemon Elberta are much more resistance to frost. O’Henry peaches often come into harvest as the Elberta are just finishing. O’Henry peaches are great for freezing.
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