Home-Canned Peaches In Light Syrup
Home canning is an easy way to preserve peaches when they are in season. I like to buy 4-3-litre baskets at a time at the market when they are in season - one for eating, one for dehydrating and the other two to can and save for eating in the winter months. The peaches peel best when they are ripe but not too soft to the touch. I buy them fresh at the market, and wait two or three days before processing. Generally, that is when the skins will just slip off when boiled for one minute and then shocked in a sink of cold water filled with ice cubes.
YIELD : 6-500ml jars
WATER BATH PROCESSING TIME: 20 minutes for altitudes of 1000 feet or below. Adjust processing time for other altitudes.
Equipment
- canning pot
- 12-16 litre pot for blanching and peeling the peaches
- large bowl
- wire basket or tray for bottom of the canning pot
- jar lift
- magnetic wand for lid placement
- 6-500 ml sterilized jars with lids and rings
- 8-litre pot
- funnel
Ingredients
- 4½-5 lbs peaches (about 14) I like to use freestone Red Haven peaches. I peel 5 pounds but sometimes only about 4½ pounds fit in the jars.
- 8 cups water
- 3â…“ cups sugar
To prevent the peeled peaches from browning:
- 6 tbsp lemon juice bottled
- 6 cups water
Instructions
- Fill the large pot with enough water to allow for all your peaches to be blanched. I usually fill my pot to the halfway mark. Bring the pot of water to a boil.
- To a large bowl, add the 6 tablespoons of lemon juice and the 6 cups of water and set aside.
- Cut an X on the bottom of each peach. Fill your sink with cold water and add a tray of ice cubes.
- Once the water is at a full rolling boil, add all the peaches at once. Leave the peaches in the boiling water for one minute.
- Remove the peaches and transfer them immediately to the ice cold water.
- The peels should slip off easily.
- Quarter the peaches and immediately put in the lemon water. This will prevent the peaches from browning.
- To the 8-litre stainless steel pot, add the eight cups of water and the sugar and bring to a boil.
- To the sterilized jars, add the quartered peaches to within 1" of the top of the jar. Pour the light syrup over the peaches, leaving ½" headspace. Run a sterilized knife or a thin kitchen utensil around the jar to remove air bubbles. Top each jar with a washed and briefly warmed snap lid. (I put the snap lid in hot boiling water for 30 seconds, this softens the seal.) Add the sterilized ring and tighten to finger tip tightness. Process using the boiling water method in a canning pot for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, shut off the stove and leave the pot with the peaches covered for another 5 minutes. (This will help prevent liquid from seeping out of the jars when you remove them from the canner. Note: there is always a bit of siphoning after removing the jars. As long as the liquid fills the jar halfway after processing, and the jars properly seal, the peaches are shelf stable for a year.)
- Remove the jars and set them out on a wooden board or metal rack to cool and seal. Don't disturb the jars for 24 hours.
- Remove the rings and inspect the jars. If some of the liquid has leaked out onto the jars, wipe them clean with a soapy cloth. Store the jars without the rings on in a dark cool place for up to a year.
Nutrition
Serving: 1-serving= â…“ of a 500ml jarCalories: 184kcalCarbohydrates: 47gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 10mgPotassium: 197mgFiber: 2gSugar: 46gVitamin A: 329IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 12mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Turned out great!