Hold on to Summer: Can Some Peaches!

I know pretty much everyone has moved onto fall recipes already but I always find September to be the best time of year for preserving peaches. They are just reaching the tail end of the season and it’s much easier to find bulk cases for a good price. Canned peaches are one of my favourite fruits to preserve as something other than jam. And, as a bonus they are one of the easiest things to can ever!

After a cold snap that literally brought snow to our doorstep, we are finally looking forward to a warm and sunny week. So, I’ve decided that since it’s officially the last week of summer we’re going to treat it as so. The plan is to go for a picnic supper after school at one of our favourite parks, make sure that we get in lot’s of walks and bike rides, lick some popsicles, and enjoy as much fresh summer fruits and veggies as possible. (You can follow our #lastweekofsummer adventures on Instagram if you like.)

I’m so thankful for the routines that fall brings but I know we’re looking ahead to a long winter so I made sure to preserve as much of summer as I possibly could. And, in my mind, you can’t beat canned peaches in the dead of winter. Whether they’re topped on waffles, ice cream, or granola they are the one fruit that I enjoy just as much canned as fresh. And, since they’re so easy to make, you may as well grab a box and preserve some really quick before they disappear.

How will you be celebrating the last week of summer?

Canned Peaches

Makes: 6 quarts

The amount of peaches you use will vary on how big the peaches are and how small you slice them. This is a rough guideline of how many it should take to fill a jar, but don’t stress if your amounts are a little off from mine. Just make sure you fill them up and have enough syrup to cover. Add whole spices to the jars, along with the peaches, to switch up the flavours if you like!

Ingredients

Syrup

• 4 cups sugar
• 8 cups water

Peaches

• 24 peaches (9-10 pounds) (you will need about 4 peaches per quart jar)

Instructions

Syrup

1. Bring water to a boil. Stir in sugar until dissolved.

Peaches

1. Remove the skin from the peaches. Sometimes this is easy to do but if it’s not, cut a small x into the bottom of the peach, pop them into a pot of boiling water for 30-60 seconds, then remove to an ice bath to cool. The skin should slide off easily.
2. Halve the peaches or slice into desired size, removing the pit. Pack into clean quart jars. Pour syrup over top to cover, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Tap gently on the counter before using a skewer or chopstick to help remove air bubbles. Add a bit more syrup if necessary.
3. Wipe the rims, place sterilized lids on the jars, and tighten rings to fingertip tight. Process in a water bath for 30 minutes (or more depending on your altitude*). Remove from water bath and let sit on a kitchen towel for 24 hours. To check for seal, remove the rings and grasp the lid with your fingertips, lift the jar from the counter by only the lid, if it holds, it’s sealed. Store any unsealed jars in the fridge.

*Note: Processing times according to altitude

• 0 to 1000 feet – time as written in recipe
• 1,001 to 3,000 feet – add 5 minutes
• 3,001 to 6,000 feet – add 10 minutes
• 6,001 to 8,000 feet – add 15 minutes
• 8,001 to 10,000 feet – add 20 minutes