Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Canning Peaches—An Easy How-To with Laurel Blount




I went through a Laura Ingalls stage a few years ago. Gardening, canning, milking, butter and cheese making—you name it, I probably tried it. I had a ton of fun experimenting!
My life is a lot busier now, and my time for these old-fashioned activities is limited. So, you better believe, if I’ve hung on to something, it is really, truly worth it.
Canning peaches? Totally worth it. No lie—a home-canned peach tastes as fresh and wonderful as the first lovely, ripe peach of the season. My friend Alla and I recently canned a big batch of peaches. We had a blast working together and produced 20 jars of deliciousness for the peachless wintertime. Just in case you feel like having an old-timey afternoon, here’s what we did:
You will need: peaches, sugar, mason jars, lids and rings, and a water bath canning kettle. (And an apron and a bunch of paper towels. This gets messy.)
Bring a big pot of water to a boil and have another big pot of ice water handy. (Tip: when processing a lot of fruit, I freeze water bottles and use those to chill my water. Saves on ice.) Rinse your peaches, then immerse them in the boiling water for 30 seconds. Dip them out with a slotted spoon and drop them in the ice water. The skins should practically slip off.
Half your peaches and remove the pit. Drop the halves into a solution of ½ gallon of water, 1 TBSP lemon juice, and 1 TBSP salt. This is to prevent the fruit from darkening in the jars.

Layer the fruit in your clean mason jars. I use quart jars, and I layer the peach halves concave side down. It’s prettier that way, and you can fit more in. Once you have your jars filled to the neck, bring a sugar syrup to a boil. I use the lightest sugar syrup in my trusty Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. I bring one cup of sugar and four cups of water to a boil. When it’s boiling, I pour it over the peaches, leaving about a ½ inch headspace at the top of the jar. (You may have to make more than one batch of syrup, depending on how many peaches you have to process.) Wipe the rims of the jars with a damp paper towel to remove any debris.
Now it’s time to put on the lids. I simmer my lids briefly in boiling water to soften the rubber seals. (Some people say this isn’t necessary, but I usually have a 100 percent seal rate, so I still do it.) Put lids on top of jars and screw on rings.

Have your canning kettle at a boil. Immerse your jars and process them for thirty minutes (for quarts). Remove carefully, set on a folded towel or other heat-safe surface. They will seal as they cool—you’ll hear satisfying little pings. Once they are cool test the lids with your finger to make sure they are tight and not flexing. If so, they are good to be marked with a date and stored. If not, put that jar in the fridge and enjoy sooner. Sealed, they will keep optimally for a year with full color and flavor, but I have used them for up to three years in cobblers or ice creams.

Canned peaches are so pretty—you just want to sit and look at ‘em! They make fabulous gifts, too! 

My friend Alla had never canned before, but not only did she buy another box of peaches to process, a few days later she presented me with this lovely jar of squash pickles that she canned all by herself! So proceed with caution, folks—this can turn out to be an addictive hobby!
Now go grab yourself some peaches because summer’s slipping by fast! But that’s okay—next up at my house? Apple butter! Anybody else out there enjoy vintage recipes or hobbies? I’d love to hear!



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Laurel Blount lives on a small farm in middle Georgia with her husband, their four children, and an assortment of very spoiled animals. She divides her time between farm chores, homeschooling, and writing. She's busy, but at least she's never bored! Whenever she's not working, you can find Laurel with a cup of tea at her elbow, a cat in her lap, and a good book in her hand. Stay in touch by signing up for her monthly newsletter at www.laurelblountbooks.com.

You can also find Laurel's latest release on Amazon - Hometown Hope.


29 comments:

  1. First, I LOVE THAT COVER!!!!! That cover draws me right in because I want to find out why there's just a kid... alone... in a window seat... on a romance cover. Whoever broke that rule, kudos to them because it's awesome, Laurel!

    Second, I love canning and freezing. I don't do as much anymore because writing and the farm keep me so busy over the summer, but I do make hundreds of jars of jam to sell at our farm stand.... People love homemade jam!

    Laurel, I love this and the pics are wonderful. Thank you so much for coming by and canning with us today! :)

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    1. Ruthy--as I told Cate--I was honored to be invited! Always fun to hang out with the Yankee Belles!
      I love the cover, too--so glad the cover artists decided to go in a different direction with it! And yes--homemade jam is the bomb! I am gearing up to make Pear Honey in a few weeks--one of my favorite old-timey recipes--awesome on homemade bread! But hundreds of jars?? Ruthy--as usual--my hat's off to you!! That's a lot of jam!

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    2. Oh, we may have to have you back for that, Laurel. Pear honey? I'm intrigued.

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    3. Oh, wow. Pear honey sounds amazing!! And so does apple butter, which I love.

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    4. I'm putting the pear honey recipe in my August newsletter, and I'd love to come back another day and do some pear honey canning at the Yankee Belle! It is fabulous--golden and just the consistency of honey--but made of pears and sugar, with a dash of lemon and cinnamon. Yum!!

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  2. I smiled when I read your opening lines, Laurel. I went through my own Laura Ingalls phase during high school. I took mine a bit further. I sewed a blue and white check gingham maxi dress that I wore when I was doing my farm girl thing. My parents had a lake house in Pennsylvania and I remember going and picking blueberries and canning jam - all while wearing the gown.

    Sometimes I really wonder about my younger self. She was fearless, had no care for what anyone else thought, and really did wish she'd lived in a previous era.

    Thanks for joining us here today to share your canning wisdom. I was drooling looking at your FB photos when you were doing this.

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    1. Thanks for inviting me! I'm always happy to tie on an apron and do some canning with friends! You sewed your own pioneer dress? That is so stinking adorable!!! Do you have pictures??

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    2. I do not - thank heaven! I still have the mental picture. LOLOL

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    3. Mary Cate, I somehow picture you as a hippie when you describe that dress. :) But I think you should be proud of that fearless girl!

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  3. Laurel, thanks so much for sharing this with us! Would you believe I've never canned anything??! I once watched someone do it when I was a kid, but it seemed overwhelmingly hard to me then. I'm so glad you showed us how do-able it can be! I need to go buy myself a box of Georgia peaches and try this!

    BTW, where do you buy your peaches in bulk? A farmer's market?

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    1. Oh, Missy--canning's not hard at all! Messy, yes--hard, no! Alla and I are going to try pressure canning this fall--hopefully--if I can get enough green beans for a good batch! That's a little trickier than water bath canning, but still super easy. I got these peaches from Pearson's Farm. We buy seconds, which usually run about 20 dollars a box. Most peach packing plants offer boxes of culls or seconds at a discounted price. You should get some and give it a go!

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    2. Thanks for the info on the farm! I see they're around Macon. I'm up in Lawrenceville, but my inlaws live in south GA. I may be able to stop at Pearson's on a visit to see them! I'll have to see when peach season ends. Time for some investigative work. haha

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    3. OH! I just discovered they do farmer's markets in the Atlanta area!! I may send my son and his wife on a mission to get me some. :)

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  4. I can't tell you how excited I am to learn canning from you, Laurel! I had a blast! This hobby is truly addictive AND delicious. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and skill!

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    1. Alla, we had such fun, and you took to it like a duck to water! Next up--green beans and apple butter!! Can't wait!

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    2. Learning from someone is so much better than trying to do it from a book. The photos really show how much fun the two of you were having.

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    3. Alla, we appreciate you letting Laurel share y'all's adventure!

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  5. Laurel, I love this. It's been years since I've canned anything, but peaches are definitely worth the effort. And, of course, I have to give a BIG shout out for Hometown Hope. I LOVED this story, so everyone get your copy while you can!

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    1. Thanks for the shoutout for Hometown Hope. Everyone is raving over the cover (which I love), but I also love the title. :)

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    2. Aww, thanks for the sweet shout outs, Mindy and Mary Cate!! Ya'll--I just went out and picked three big boxes of pears--and didn't even make a dent. I have never seen so many on one tree! I love canning those, too--and it's a good thing! Ima be BUSY!!!

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    3. Laurel, some of the best preserves I've ever had were pear preserves that a friend made. They were amazing!

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    4. Do you have the recipe, Missy? Cause I can only make so much pear honey! I would love some other options!

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  6. One of my favorite memories was canning peaches with my mother-in-law when I was a young bride. :-) It was a great bonding experience! I had canned before, but never peaches. Since then, I've done oodles of canning...but not so much since the children have grown, and definitely not this summer. I don't even have a kitchen right now!

    But I do have access to fruit trucked in from Washington once a year, and that's where I can score my canning produce. :-)

    Thanks for coming by today, Laurel! And I'm with the others - I love that cover!

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    1. Oh, Jan. Your trials this summer definitely should inspire a story.

      But fresh produce sounds like a win!

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    2. Hi, Jan! What a sweet memory that must be! No kitchen? Bless you--that has to be tough. But that fruit being trucked in, now that sounds pretty awesome!
      And thanks--I think this cover is my very favorite!

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    3. Jan, you've had a crazy summer!

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  7. Laurel, thank you so much for being such a gracious and enthusiastic guest today. Too bad we can't do a canned peaches giveaway!

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    1. It was totally my pleasure!! Love you Yankee Belles!

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