Food & Cooking Recipes Healthy Recipes Gluten-Free Recipes Basic Jam 5.0 (1) 1 Review Turn fresh fruit into a sweet spread with this easy jam recipe. By Martha Stewart Martha Stewart Martha Stewart is a bestselling author, entrepreneur, and lifestyle expert who has taught millions of people through generations the joy of entertaining, cooking, gardening, collecting, crafting, and home renovating via her eponymous magazine, Martha Stewart Living, Emmy-winning television shows, and 99 books (and counting). Based in Katonah, N.Y., where she helms her 156-acre Bedford Farm, Martha is America's first self-made female billionaire. Editorial Guidelines Updated on August 15, 2023 Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Christopher Testani Prep Time: 20 mins Total Time: 45 mins Yield: 5 cups With this simple jam recipe in your repertoire, enjoying fruits beyond their peak will be easier than ever. The process requires just 20 minutes of preparation and four basic ingredients: fruit, sugar, salt, and lemon juice (though you can use lime juice, as well). Stone fruits like apricots or peaches are a classic choice, but berries and cherries are equally tasty. Regardless of the fruits you choose, pick them during their peak season for the best flavor and color. Once you've created the flavorful spread, enjoy it with toast, oatmeal, pancakes, or waffles. It's especially irresistible with dairy fan-favorites, including yogurt and ice cream—or try it in a grilled cheese for a sweet-and-savory twist. Recipes The skins from stone fruit will contribute color and flavor to the jam. For a smoother mixture, use peeled peaches or nectarines: Carve an X in the bottom of each fruit and plunge them into boiling water for 30 seconds. Transfer them to an ice-water bath to stop the cooking; the skins will slip off. For plums, just lift the skins out of the cooked jam with a fork. Jam Variations Use our Basic Jam recipe to make these single fruit and combination jams. Mixed Berry: 1 pound each raspberries, blackberries, and strawberriesNectarine-Raspberry: 2 1/4 pounds nectarines and 12 ounces raspberriesPeach: 3 pounds white or yellow peaches, peeled (optional)Peach-Plum: 1 1/2 pounds each peaches, peeled (optional), and plumsPlum: 3 pounds plumsRaspberry: 3 pounds raspberries Ingredients 3 pounds fruit (see options, below), cut into 1-inch chunks if large, stone fruit pitted 1 ½ pounds sugar (3 ⅓ cups) Coarse salt 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice Directions Mix fruit, sugar, and salt: Stir together fruit, sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Boil and mash: Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved and mashing fruit with a potato masher. Add lemon juice and boil: Add lemon juice; continue to boil, stirring frequently, until bubbles slow, chunks of fruit show at top, and mixture clings to a spoon but falls off in clumps, 10 to 12 minutes. Skim foam from top. Transfer to containers: Ladle jam into clean containers, leaving 3/4 inch of headroom. Let cool completely and cover. How Long Does Homemade Jam Last? Our homemade jam will last up to one month in the refrigerator and one year in the freezer. Be sure to store it in an airtight jar and add a dated label. Do not store it in the pantry unless you have properly canned the jam. Should You Refrigerate Jelly and Jam? Food Scientists Settle the Debate Try These Other Jam Recipes: Quick Raspberry Jam Strawberry Jam Frozen Berry Jam Fresh-and-Dried Peach Jam Plum Jam Originally appeared: Martha Stewart Living, September 2015 Rate It PRINT Updated by Kirsten Nunez Kirsten Nunez Kirsten Nunez is a writer who focuses on food, health, nutrition, and DIY. She has a master's degree in nutrition, and has been writing professionally for nearly 10 years for digital and print publications, such as Martha Stewart, Shape, Real Simple, Healthline, and SELF. She also creates original recipes, which have appeared on product packaging in stores.