canning peaches

Because I don't know any better, I keep getting my hands on bulk amounts of produce. I ended up with three large bags of peaches this week. We live so close to an orchard that has peaches in the summer and apples in the fall. It's a bit of a sad state of affairs there right now. From what I've gathered, Grandpa passed away two years ago or so and the next generation has taken over. There was some type of major falling out and the sibling that got the farm isn't able to really give it all it needs. It's pretty sad. Anyway, I try to stop by and pick stuff up when I find them open. This is where the peaches are from.

Each jar ended up holding about 7 peaches. I dipped each peach in boiling water for 1 minute and then dropped them in ice water for another minute. They were then cut in half and peeled. They are cold packed, meaning that I sliced them and put them right into the clean jars. The book that came with my canner said that I should make up a simple syrup to add on top, but also said that the sugar is not needed for the preserving process. It suggested a 1:3 sugar to water ratio. I went with more like 1:7.

Peaches can be canned in a water bath canner, but I'm becoming partial to the pressure canner. The peaches get processed on 5 pounds for 10 minutes.

Oh, doesn't that peach juice look delicious. I canned these about 8 am and we enjoyed a can of them after dinner that same night. They were good. Like most things we've been making and canning at home, they were good, but different than from the store.