Peaches Year-Round — Rhythm & Reverie

Saying I love peaches might be an understatement. Peaches mean summer and summer means peaches. When the summer comes to an end, my beloved peaches are nowhere to be found. But this summer, I said nope, I'm going to eat my favorite fruit all year-round and no one's going to stop me. So, I got all the books and read about canning and preserving just so I can have peaches in January.

I grabbed my Kilner jamming pot (thank you Hons for my new prized possession), my peaches, and Weck jars and went to town with blanching, peeling, boiling, and canning. It's work, but oh so rewarding. Future me is already saying thank you. And the most fulfilling part is when I pulled my jars out of the water bath and then hours later checked the seals to discover they were good to go. I won't have to eat six jars of preserves in a span of two weeks.

Between canning, preserving, fermenting, and pickling, I can't get enough of food in jars and I'm ready to begin planting a garden with the thought of eating it all out of beautiful glass jars in the off-season. I recommend growing what you can and buying the rest locally. So quick, go and buy a bunch of peaches or your favorite summer fruit and can away, before the farmers' markets tell you they've moved onto autumn.

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CANNED PEACHES

Ingredients:

6 lbs of organic peaches
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
2 cups of organic granulated sugar
1 quart of water
2 quart glass canning jars (I used Weck jars, but Ball or Kerr jars work great too!)

Directions:

Thoroughly wash peaches. Fill a large bowl with ice and water.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add peaches in for about 60 seconds and immediately transfer to the ice bath.
Fill another large bowl with water and lemon juice.
Begin peeling the peaches by rubbing the skin with your finger and gently pulling the skin off. Place peeled peaches in the lemon water.
Quarter or halve your blanched peaches and remove any red flesh, as it continues to brown over time. Return peaches to lemon water and prepare the syrup.
Combine the quart of water and 2 cups of sugar in a jamming pot or large pan and add the sliced peaches and bring to a boil.
Place the sliced peaches in the sterilized jars, packing them tightly. Pour in the hot syrup leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Cover them with the lids.
Process in a water bath for 20 minutes. Begin the 20 minutes once the water begins to boil.
Let cool completely. To test if the Weck jars are sealed, remove the metal clamps and carefully lift the glass lid. If the seal is secure, the lid will stay on the jar. Also, the rubber ring points downward after a proper seal. Consume within a year.

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PEACH PRESERVES

Ingredients:

11-12 lbs of organic peaches
3-4 cups of organic granulated sugar (depending on sweetness of peaches)
Juice of 1 medium lemon
6 pint sized jars with lids (Weck, Ball, Kerr)

Directions:

Thoroughly wash peaches. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil and add peaches in for 60 seconds and immediately transfer them to an ice bath.
Peel the skin and cut the peaches into quarters.
Place all peeled peaches into a large jamming or soup pot and squeeze in the juice of one lemon. Pour 2 cups of sugar, toss and pour remaining sugar. You can always add more sugar during the cooking process.
Let the peaches macerate in the sugar for about 30 min to 1 hour.
Bring the peaches to a boil and stir to prevent burning. Once the whole pot is at a light boil, simmer for 10 min and then turn off the heat. Let the pot stand uncovered until it is warm to the touch or at room temperature.
Repeat step 5 for a total of 5 times. If you need to leave the pot overnight to continue the next day, the peaches are fine left out as the high sugar content prevents them from spoiling.
The last time the peaches are brought to a boil/simmer, immediately transfer them to sterilized jars and process for 10 minutes. Begin the 10 minutes when the water starts to boil.
To check the seal, refer to step 9 in previous recipe. Enjoy!