roadside peaches part two the canning

For the quarts of peach halves –

1 – You can use a “syrup” to can whole or half fruits or you can simply use water. Sugar has no preserving qualities and is used mainly for taste. I decided to use a very light honey syrup. To 5 cups of water add 1 ½ cups of honey. Heat to simmering.

2 – Wash peaches while you boil a bit of water in a sauce pan, enough water to cover a half peach. Reduce water to a simmer after it boils.

3 – Cut peaches in half, remove pit and any pit pieces. Dunk the peach halves in the hot water for a few seconds. Skins will come right off after they cool for a few more seconds.

4 – Place the peach halves in the honey water mixture. Simmer for a few minutes.

5 – Hopefully you have started your canner water to boil and washed your jars. If you haven’t, now is the time. Simmer the jar lids and rings, then cover and set aside. Scald the quart jars in the boiling canner water.

6 – Taking the peaches right out of the simmering syrup, pack the halves in the quart jars as tightly as possible.

7 – Using a ladle or large spoon, fill the jar with the honey syrup to ½” of the jar top.

8 – Using a plastic spoon handle or chopstick, try to remove as many air bubbles as possible from the jar. Shove the utensil down the sides of the jar to remove the bubbles.

9 – Remove a ring and lid from the hot water and tighten on the jar.

10 – Place in the boiling water canner and process for 25 minutes, 20 minutes for pints.

11 – Remove the jars and let cool overnight. In the morning, check the seals, remove the rings, label and store in a cool dark place.

12 – Use the excess honey syrup to make peach honey vinegar.

For the peach sauce –

1 – Repeat steps 2 and 3 above. Also, get your canner water ready and wash up a bunch of pint and half pint jars. Simmer the lids and rings then cover and set aside.

2 – Add the peach halves to a large stock pot. Smash with a potato masher of whatever you have in order to get the peaches into small chunks. Heat to simmering.

3 – Add honey and cinnamon (if you have it) to taste. Neither of these things is necessary; they are merely for taste when the jars are opened for use.

4 – Heat the mixture to boiling, being careful not to burn it.

5 – Scald the jars then fill to ¼” of the jar top with the peach mixture.

6 – Remove jars and lids from the hot water and tighten on the jars.

7 – Process for 15 minutes in the boiling water canner.

8 – Remove the jars and let cool overnight. In the morning, check the seals, remove the rings, label and store in a cool dark place.

I use fruit sauces instead of jams for a few reasons. First, they don’t take as long to make. Cooking a peach jam without pectin would take several hours. Second, I use the sauces with my rice breakfasts for a little something in addition to the honey.