How to Can Peaches

If you have never canned Peaches or would like easy to follow, step by step instructions on how to can them at home, then this post is for you. It is also for those that want to get reacquainted with canning again and process their fruits using a water bath canner rather than a pressure canner. I enjoy canning, freezing, dehydrating, and jamming (is that a word) my peaches each fall. I like to have them on hand and ready for those times I am just craving peaches. I prefer to freeze my peaches for a fresher taste after they thaw, however with two freezers well stocked, I would choose to can as a second choice for food storage.

Then again, I think that just having peaches ready to eat, is very nice.

 

Assemble your equipment

After you bought, picked, or gathered your peaches together. Assemble your equipment.

 

Supplies You Will Need:

• Jars- Quart or Pint Sized Jars (Wide or regular mouth, new or re-used)
• Lids- Wide of regular mouth (never re-use lids)
• Rings- Wide or regular mouth (You can re-use rings as long as they are not rusty)
• Jar Lifter
• Bubble Remover/Headspace Tool
• Magnetic Lid Lifter
• Jar Funnel 

 

Always have these cleaned and ready to go when you begin canning. I also like to throw my jars, lids, and rings in the dishwasher with a mild soap even if they are brand new and do a 1-hour wash or sanitation cycle.

If you haven't already done this, sterilize your used jars and rings by placing them in boiling water for about 10 min. I use my Water bath canner for this to make things a little easier. It is good to add your new lids for 5 minutes to soften the band and sterilize as well.

 

 

 

Make Your Syrup

While your jars are boiling, make the syrup for your peaches:

The way I like to have my syrup is to do 2 cups of sugar for 6 cups of water.

 

 

Here are some syrup recipes according to the Better Homes and Garden cookbook:

 

• Very Light Syrup = 1 cup of sugar to 4 cups of water
• Thin Syrup = 1 2/3 cup of sugar to 4 cups of water
• Medium Syrup = 2 2/3 cups of sugar per 4 Cups of water 
• Heavy Syrup = 4 cups of sugar to 4 cups of water 

-FRUIT JUICE
Another alternative is using fruit juice instead of syrup. So, if you have a supply of a peach, pear, white grape, or apple juice, I have heard from people that have done this and it works great.

-HONEY
If you want to use honey instead of sugar, I was always told to pressure can your peaches when doing this method, but I should look into more.

Directions-

While heating up water pour your sugar in and bring it to a rolling boil and keep simmered throughout canning. 

 

Prepare Peaches

 

 

Here is 6 step guide to preparing your peaches

1. Wash your peaches thoroughly
2. Mark an X on the skin of the peach (don't cut into the peach)
3. Blanch peaches by putting peaches into boiling water for 40-90 seconds (you will start to see the skins becoming loose).
4. Shock them by placing them into ice cold water immediately for a few minutes.
5. Pull the loose skin from the peaches
6. Peel completely and it is ready to cut. The peels should come off easily. You can peel off any tough patches with a peeler.

 

Fill Jars

Slice into halves or quarters as you wish.

 

 

 

Put slices into quart or pint sized jars leaving 1 inch clearance, put 1/2 teaspoon of Fresh Fruit, Ascorbic Acid, or Citric Acid  powder over peaches, pour in syrup, and put lid/ring on.

Hot Pack Method
We chose to do the cold pack or raw method. If you would like to do the hot pack method just add your peaches to your syrup in the pot and then bring to a boil.  Fill jars as usual leaving 1 inch clearance and place lid and ring on jar.

 

(If you use a funnel, you usually don't have to wipe off the rim before putting on the lid and ring)

Use your plastic bubble remover or rubber spatula by sticking it down the side of the jars to release the bubbles. Pictured here is a butter knife I used. I was always told never to use metal devices to do this (but I do anyway ;).

 

Process Peaches

 

 

 

Water Bath Raw/Cold Pack Process Times:
Pints- 25 minutes
Quarts- 30 minutes

Water Bath Hot Pack Process Times:
Pints-20 minutes
Quarts- 25 minutes

  

Cool Down

 

 

Remove with jar lifter (if you have one) and place jars on flat surface on top of a towel. Push finger down on lid to check if jar is sealed. If it pops back, they are not sealed yet. They may not pop to seal for up to a half an hour after processing. Just check them and if they don't seal, you may want to repeat processing for another 5 - 10 minutes. Don't worry though, they normally pop and you'll probably start to hear popping as they are cooling down on the towel.

 

Additional Notes*

• Another thing is that the jars may boil over and you will see bubbles coming out from under the rings, as long as they sealed, they are fine. You will probably just lose some juice. Make sure that you take a warm wash cloth and wipe the ring, lid, and jar because they will be sticky from the overflowing.

 

• You may also see that some peaches are not covered by the juice. This is not harmful and the fruit may turn brown a little from storage, but after 24 hours of cooling, you can turn the jar upside down in your hand back and forth to mix the fruit a bit more in the jar. 

 

Featured Blogger: Danielle from Tasty Crafts

Danielle L.- Creator of Tasty Crafts

 

Favorite Foods: 

Pizza, french dip sandwiches, and potato soup.
But my favorite things to make are desserts. I love to bake more than I love to cook.

 

Favorite Restaurant:

I don't have one favorite restaurant. But I do have favorite foods from different restaurants. I love the Black Tie Mousse Cake from Olive Garden, I love the rolls and butter from Texas Road House, the Bloomin Onion from Outback , the Wingers Sticky Finger Salad, and Cafe Rio's Pork Barbacoa Salad, and i love the Chocolate Lava Cakes from Chili's. I also love to re-create, or find copycat recipes for my favorite dishes. And a lot of time we end up liking our versions better!

Inspiration to Cook:
Sometimes what inspires me to cook or bake is just for the excitement of my family as they enjoy a good home cooked meal. My favorite is baking desserts and treats. My husband and boys love when I make cookies or bread, and I love seeing how much they love my baking. It just makes me want to cook and bake more!

Feelings About New Foods:
I love trying new things, especially if it turns out well! I love getting recipes from friends and making it for my family. I also love sharing recipes with others

At the Table:
I love to cook for others! I think it is a fun challenge. It can definitely be a little stressful at times, but it is a lot of fun. My boys and I also love to bake treats and take them to our neighbors.

 

My Five Top Recipes (as per request)

 

Easy Cheesecake

Peanut Butter Bars

Cafe Rio Copycat Recipes

Fresh Salsa

Caramel Bread Pudding

 Here at Saltbox House Cooking Exchange, we have been inspired by Danielle and chose to feature her for this season because of her passion for baking and to introduce her to the Food Blogging Community. Her following is continuing to grow as well as her wide variety of recipes. We are so excited to show you all of Danielle's delicious recipes, cooking creations, and crafts, that we made her an honorary Blog Button you can click on to enter her blog .

 

OUR FAVORITE RECIPE FROM TASTY CRAFTS

Photo from Madeline L.

 Peach Delight Pie

Click Here for Recipe

Peach Crostata

Photo Taken by Sally Anderson

For the pastry:
2 -3/4 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1- 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
grated zest of 1 lemon
3/4 cup chilled butter, cut into pieces
1 large whole egg plus 1 large egg yolk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder salt and lemon zest in a bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender as you would when you are making pie crust.

In a small bowl, whisk whole egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Pour into flour mixture and stir until the dough is evenly moist and begins to come together(if the mixture seems dry, add a tsp or so of cold water). Transfer the dough to a work surfaceand divide the doughinto 2 discsone slightly larger than the other. Wrap separately in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or for up to overnight.

For the filling:
2 cups peeled, pitted, and sliced peaches
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

Position a rack in the lower 1/3 of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees. To make the filling, in a bowl, toss together the peach slices, granulated sugar, and flour. Set aside.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the larger dough disk into a 12 inch round. Carefully roll the dough around the pin, position the pin over a 10 inch (or 12 inch, but double peaches if using a 12 inch tart pan) tart pan with a removable bottom, and unroll the dough, pressing it gently but firmly against the bottom and sides of the pan. Trim the edges of the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch overhand. Fold the overhang over against the inside of the rim of the pan. Pour the peaches into the pastry-lined tart pan, spreading them into an even layer.

Roll out the second dough disk into a 10-inch round. using a pastry wheel or a knife, cut the dough round into 10 strips each 1/2 inch wide. Arrange half of the strips across the top of the tart, spacing them evenly. Give the pan a quarter turn and place the remaining dough strips across the top to form a lattice pattern. If the strips break, patch them together with a drop of water. Press the ends of the strips against the sides of the tart shell to seal.

For the Topping:
1 large egg
Demerara, turbinado, or other coarse sugar for sprinkling

to make the topping, in a bowl, whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon of water. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the dough strips with the egg mixture. Sprinkle the strips generously with the course sugar. Bake until the pastry is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, let cool for 10 minutes, then remove the outer ring and cool until warm or room temperature. Cut into wedges and serve.

Photo Taken by Sally Anderson

This recipe was obtained from the Willams-Sonoma Essentials of Italian cookbook. We love the recipes in this book. I have become a big fan of italian food through cooking the recipes in this book.

Photos of Madelin's Peach Tart






 Baked today and beautful.

Harevest Meatballs

This recipe is exactly what fall is. I can't eat it with out thinking of all the wonderful colors and smells. This recipe is my husbands favorite. It has been since before we were married when my Mom made it for him and a friend before we were even dating. I make it regularly and make it on his birthday as well. This was also a favorite of mine growing up.

Harvest Meatballs

Meatballs:
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup milk
1 slice of bread crumbled (to make it gluten free just use gluten free bread)
1/4 cup chopped onion or 1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 lb. ground beef

Mix ingredient well in a bowl and form into golf ball size meatballs. ( I do mine a tiny bit smaller). Bake uncovered at 350 F for 30 minutes or in the microwave on HIGH for 13 minutes.

Rice:
In a saucepan combine:
1 1/2 cup rice
3 cup chicken broth or 3 cups of water with 4 boullion cubes
1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley or 2 T dried
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Cover and simmer till rice is done

Fruit Mixture/Sauce:
In another saucepan:
Melt 1/2 cup butter or margarine
Add 1/2 cup brown sugar
Add 3-4 cups of desired fruit

Fruit can be apples, nectarines, peaches, grapes (cut in half) or cantelppe. Soft melons do not work well. Cut the fruit into small pieces. (apples, nectarines and peaches cut into quarters and then halves.

Cook fruit mixture for 2 to 3 minutes.

Blend in separate bowl:
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup lemon juice

Stir into fruit mixture. Cook until thick and bubbly.

Add meatballs to fruit mixture sauce and serve over rice.

YIELD: 4-5 servings. (I always one and a half the sauce because it is so good and we like more sauce than rice.)

Rustic Cherry Peach Crostata

A "Crostata" is a baked Italian dessert...a rustic tart of sorts. The crust is flaky like a pie crust and the filling, well thats all up to you! The possibilities are endless when it comes to what you put in the middle. This was my first homemade crostada but will definitley not be my last, i made this one with a creamcheese, fresh peach and cherry filling. It was absolutley delicious and my favorite thing about it is that it is not supossed to look perfect like a pie crust...it is meant to be rustic or country looking so you just fold the edges over and it looks gorgeous!

Rustic Cherry Peach Crostata

Crust Recipe

1 c. Flour

1/8 c. sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 stick cold butter, diced

3 tlb ice water

Place flour, sugar and salt into food processor, pulse to combine. Added diced cold butter and pulse untill butter is the size of peas and mixture is crumbly. Slowly add ice water while pulsing untill mixture begins to form a ball. Remove from processor and cover with plastic wrap, form into a disc and leave in refergerator for at least one hour.

After an hour, roll the dough into roughly an 11 inch circle that is about a 1/4 inch thick. Spread creamcheese mixture (recipe below) all over the unbaked crust, place sliced peaches and cherries ontop of creamcheese filling. Fold the edges of the crust over (about an inch of crust all the way around). The more rustic looking the better here! Place on greased cookie sheet and bake @425 for about 25 minutes or untill sides and bottom are golden brown.

"They Call it Dutch Style"

The great outdoors has always had a special place in my family. Growing up, my family and I would just pack up and go fishing and camping some weekends and sometimes for a week or so. Now, I'm not talking about the camper/trailer/cabin camping although we have many memories of renting a little cabin now an then. I am talking about sleeping under the stars or in a tent, carrying the water from the pump or river, the no shower no shame policy :), and of course, cooking your food over an open fire. Now days, we still enjoy camping every summer with our families, however, the closest we get here in the big city is having a bon fire on the beach (I'm not complaining either). The food seems to make the memories stick better, I think. Along with rainbow trout, peach cobbler brings back memories of our camping days as a family more than any other food. This particular recipe is the easiest dutch oven, outdoor cooking, great tasting peach cobbler you will ever try. It is so easy my 2 year old daughter made it and I cooked it. Don't believe me, you should try it for yourself. I've been making this peach cobbler in and out doors since I can remember and it just keeps getting better every time.

For today's cobbler, I am using Wolfgang Puck's Cast Iron Dutch Oven and baking it in my oven. This recipe can be cooked in a regular cake pan if you don't have a dutch oven pot. If you have a regular dutch oven, you can just place hot charcoals accordingly above and beneath your dutch oven, on a cement surface.

Step #1

Dump in the Peaches

1-2 small cans or 1 large can of sliced peaches including the juice

(light syrup is best)

Step # 2

Dump in the Cake Mix

A regular box of yellow cake mix

(try to dump over all of the peaches)

Step # 3

Dump the 7-Up

Pour 12-16 oz of 7-up or any other lemon/lime soda all over cake mix

(You do not have to stir, see the foaming bubbles, the carbonation does the stirring for you)

*Hint after about 10 minutes of baking, if some cake mix is still sitting on the surface, fork through the batter a little until there is no longer dry cake mix showing.

Bake, uncovered, in a pre-heated oven @ 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until done.

(Just like a regular cake, poke it with a fork or toothpick, see if it comes out clean)

I suggest to serve it with powdered sugar, cream, whipped cream, milk or vanilla ice cream. See how moist that cake is? So good.

Have you tried any regularly outdoor or dutch oven cooking in your home?