I spent the afternoon blanching the skin off nearly 2 bags of peaches, only to get 6 jars. I lost one can in a strange boiling incident – the lid somehow slid off the jar. While it looked like a wide mouth mason jar, I think it was about 2 mm smaller than standard and in the heat and water, it just pulled the lid off. I can’t explain it any other way. There were no cracks in the jar or anything – just all these peach pieces bobbing around in the bubbling pot. Totally weird. I guess every jar you find at the thrift store isn’t always standard to today’s measurements. That’s okay. I’m going to keep that one as a vase for flowers anyway.
I made a concoction of pear nectar, water, and a simple syrup (2 cups water to 2 cups sugar) and used that to cover up the peaches. I usually just use pear juice (you can buy it in those big tetraboxes) but I used this recipe just because the pear nectar was a bit bland. I also like to dilute it so it looks a little nicer in the jars, too. The pear nectar looks a little, uh, muddy.
It’s pretty straightforward – you just fill the jars with sliced peaches, cover with your canning liquid, leave half an inch at the top of the jar and seal it up. Then you put it in a water bath for 25 minutes. Store in the kitchen for a few months and then right around Christmas, put them in the fridge and enjoy canned peaches in December. Trust me, peaches in December are terrific!
Meanwhile, my little helper, Donner, hung out by the window while I slaved over the hot stove.
He sure is cute, but not much help in the kitchen.
