I've been canning jams for about four years now, this being the fourth summer. I learned from reading books and the Internet. I learned to can pickles the same way.
This weekend I took a freezer jams class. I probably could have learned how to do freezer jams from a book as well, but pectin intimidated me. Sugar + fruit I could totally handle, but add unknown substance from a packet? Yeah. What could possibly go wrong? Another benefit was that I would get to meet and chat with other people also trying to learn about food preservation.
I came home to this:
A 14$ bushel of Missouri peaches. They are coming to a full ripe on the counter.
The downside is that I don't have room in my freezer to play with my new found freezer jamming skills. The upside is that I will be learning a NEW skill, once again from book and Internet, canning whole peaches in light syrup, making peach butter, and peach jam. That is IF I can get to canning them before my lovely children eat them all. They have already eaten 30 between the two of them in the last two days. It is craaaaazy how good these little peaches are.
So what are your favourite peach things for canning? Pie filling? Mixed berry and peach jams?
6 comments:
SALUTE from another peach-smothered kitchen... I just froze five quart bags of sliced peaches. I'll be making some kind of jam with the rest of my bushel- and something called "peach honey" with the skins (google it) that just sounds so lovely on a biscuit that I've got to try it. (And then make biscuits.)
Another one swimming in peaches - I froze several gallons, made some jam, but am focusing this year on canning halved peaches. I was skeptical, but after trying it last year, I found peaches stand up to canning much better than other summer fruit (I'd imagine nectarines are the same). The canned peaches worked well as an addition to hot breakfast cereal, and even just on their own as a snack. I will say, I used a very light liquid, white grape juice cut with water (I think it was 1:2 juice to water). That kept the fruit from getting over-sweet and I think also kept the peaches relatively firm. Kept the skins on too - and didn't wind up with sliminess or other odd textures. I'm definitely canning more peaches this year, to leave room in the freezer for the other fruits.
I love to can peaches, halved and in a light syrup. They are so good then in the middle of winter mixed with some yogurt and granola or eaten plain. I hope to be canning peaches in a couple of weeks.
-Brenda
To date, I've mostly canned tomatoes and applesauce--the easy stuff. Determined to get some peaches this year.
Freezer jam is your friend, if there's space, since the tough part of jam isn't making it, but canning it, which really heats up the kitchen!
Just an FYI you can also make Peach Honey from the skins and left over bits. Check out this blog. http://frugalhomesteads.blogspot.com/2010/07/peach-honey
Not sure if the pasted link will work, if not search Frugal Homesteads of come check out the sidebar on my blog, you can go from there.
Peach pie, baby! That's my favorite, with cobbler coming in a close second. Add a couple of tablespoons of Amaretto to it. Num!
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