The Peach tree in my Moms back yard was laden with peaches when we first arrived home to California. We excitedly inspected the peaches to see if they were ready for harvesting but the results came back that we needed to wait a few more days after giving a gentle little squeeze to the hard fruit. Within a few days we were picking the first ripe fruits and happily eating the warm fruit from the tree.
Soon our meager efforts at harvesting turned into us picking bowl fulls of the ripe fruit. Soon I was baking Peach Crisps as fast as we could eat them and blending fresh peaches and pouring the juice into Peach Bellinis. Soon the insistent tree started to throw its precious fruit to the ground like a two year old having a tantrum. So we picked up the pace and started canning the delicious fruit and dreamed of enjoying the fresh peach flavor during the cold months of winter. Here is my recipe for Classic Canned Peaches.
Classic Canned Peaches
6 pounds peaches
1 cup of sugar
2 cups of water
1/4 cup lemon juice, vitamin C tablet or Citric Acid to prevent browning
4 pint jars, lids and rings
Two large stock pots and tongs
First you thoroughly clean and sterilize your pint jars and lids in boiling water. You will need a large stock pot big enough for four jars and enough water to cover the jars once submerged. After boiling the jars and lids for 10 minutes, remove from the boiling water with tongs.
Then drop the peaches into the boiling water for a few minutes. You will know they are ready when you pull a peach out of the boiling water and the skin is baggy with some water under the skin. Remove the peaches from the water with the tongs and place in a large bowl.
Rinse and cover the peaches with cold water, remove the skins from the peaches, the skins should just slip off. Throw away the old water since now it is full of peach fuzz. Fill a new pot with water enough to cover the jars and bring to a boil.
Meanwhile start a different large pot for the peaches and syrup. Add the sugar and water and bring to a slow boil. Start to slice the peaches and add to the sugar water until all the peaches have been sliced. Allow to gently boil for 5 minutes.
To prevent browning you can add the lemon juice or smash a vitamin C tablet with the back of a spoon or use Citric Acid if you have it.
Using a slotted spoon, spoon the peaches into the sterilized jars until filled up to 1/2 inch to the top. Add a little of the sugar water to cover the peaches. Wipe the jars clean with a clean damp papertowel and top with the lid and ring.
Once the water is boiling place the filled and sealed jars into the boiling water, making sure the jars are covered. Process for 20 minutes. Remove from pot and allow to cool. The lids should suck down into the jars. When you tap in the lid it should not have any air beneath it and there should be no sound. Just a solid tap, this means it has gotten a proper seal. This is what preserves the canned foods. This is called a “Hot Pack” method in canning. Now you can enjoy that “Peak of July” taste any month of the year.
I adapted this recipe from www.FountainAvenueKitchen.com, at this website you can get a lot of additional information about canning that may prove helpful in your peach canning adventures! For additional information about all types of canning and preserving try: The National Center for Home Food Preservation
Try these other great recipe ideas:
Cherry Pie (published May 20, 2017)
Homemade Berry Pie (published July 23, 2017)
Whole Wheat Waffles (published August 12, 2017)
Almond Roca (published February 22, 2018)
Homemade Banana Cream Pie (published May 10, 2018)
Cannoli (published August 3, 2017)
Easy Authentic Tiramasu (published May 3, 2018)
Ooey Gooey Blonde Brownies (published August 11, 2018)
Old Fashioned Peach Crisp (published August 1, 2018
Classic Canned Peaches (published August 8, 2018)
