Updated July 2019
I just love summertime when sweet, delicious, juicy peaches are in season! To make the most of the season I start with the freshest peaches I can find, which is always at my local farm or farmer's market. Then I slice 'em and can them or make peach jam/preserves.
Come a long, cold, winter day, it's a wonderful treat to be able to grab a jar and serve those yummy peaches over homemade vanilla ice-cream, in a peach crumble/cobbler, or just with a dollop of whipped-cream on top! Served cold or warm, they are a blissful reminder of warm summer days!
First get your peaches!
Next boil them briefly in hot water and plunge into an ice-water bath to easily slip off skins.
They will look like this!
Now simply cut them and remove the pit, then cut into the desired size slices. Peaches will turn brown when exposed to air, even air in a sealed, sterile jar. To keep the fruit from turning brown, when you get a bowlful, sprinkle 1/4 cup lemon juice or Fruit-Fresh (which is just a mix of citric acid and vitamin C, perfectly natural). Then stir the peaches to make sure all the surfaces have been coated.
Peaches must be packed in a simple syrup of water and sugar. Sugar is added to improve flavor, help stabilize color, and retain the shape of the fruit. It is not added as a preservative.
| Syrup | Sugar | Water | Yield |
| Light | 2 cups | 6 cups | 7 cups |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium | 3 cups | 6 cups | 6 1/2 cups |
| Heavy | 4 cups | 6 cups | 7 cups |
To prepare syrup, while heating water, add sugar slowly, stirring constantly to dissolve. Bring to a gentle boil and keep it simmering. After preparing the liquid syrup, keep it hot (but not boiling).
Method
Pack the peaches into sanitized jars (leaving 1/2 to 1 inch space at the top) and cover with boiling sugar syrup leaving 1/2 inch head space.
Run a rubber spatula or table knife gently between peaches and jar to release trapped air bubbles. To do this more effectively, tilt the jar slightly while running the tool between the fruit and the edge of the jar and also pressing inward against the fruit a few times.
Wipe rim and screw threads with a clean damp cloth. Add lid, screw band and tighten firmly and evenly. Do not over tighten.
Put the sealed jars in the boiling water bath or follow your manufacturer's directions for using a steam canner.
Here are the specific guidelines from the USDA for canning peaches in a boiling-water bath or steam canner.
Recommended process time for Peaches, halved or sliced
in a boiling-water canner. | ||||||
| – |
Process Time at Altitudes of
| |||||
| Style of Pack | Jar Size | 0 - 1,000 ft | 1,001 - 3,000 ft | 3,001 - 6,000 ft | Above 6,000 ft | |
| Hot | Pints Quarts | 20 min 25 | 25 30 | 30 35 | 35 40 | |
| Raw | Pints Quarts | 25 30 | 30 35 | 35 40 | 40 45 | |
Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool 24 hours undisturbed.
Jars are sealed when button on top of lid is fully depressed and won't flex up and down.
Store jars in pantry up to one year. Open jars must be refrigerated.
Enjoy,
Mary
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