Ginger Bourbon Peaches
Sunshine in a jar is how I see home-canned peaches. Everything about them brings memories of warm, sunny, summer days, vacations in BC and delicious summer desserts. Every summer, we make a trip to the Okanagan Valley just around the time peaches are showing up in the orchard markets located along every highway. I process peaches every single year, most often in a simple syrup. This year I also made Ginger Bourbon Peaches, Habanero Peach Jelly, Peach Pie Filling and Fruit Cocktail made with peaches, pears and maraschino cherries. Peaches in a simple syrup are great on their own. The syrup can be thickened and then used in a peach crisp. The Ginger Bourbon Peaches are spectacular heated and served over vanilla ice cream. Of course, the peach pie filling can be used when making a pie, but it could be used in a multitude of different desserts. I picked up some peach habanero peppers this fall. They are a produce that I have never seen before. They are peach in colour and their flavour is that of a really hot peach. To me, that just screams hot pepper jelly. I wanted to make sure the peach flavour shone through, so I added a jar of canned peaches to the mixture when making the jelly.
(Adapted from A Guide to Home Preserving. Bernardin 1990)
Yield 5 pints (500 mL) jars
Colour protection solution
1 gallon cool water
¼ cup bottled lemon juice
Ingredients
4 quarts or about 20 peaches
8 inch cinnamon stick
2 Tbsp chopped fresh ginger root
1 tsp whole cloves
1 cup sugar
2 cups water
½ cup bourbon
Directions
Fill a large bowl with 1 gallon of cool water. Add ¼ cup lemon juice to the water. Set aside.
Place water in boiling water canner. Heat to a simmer. Place 6 clean, warm 500 ml mason jars on a rack in canner. Cover with simmering water. Place SNAP LIDS® in a bowl full of warm water. Keep both jars and lids warm until ready to use.
To remove peach skins, fill a large bowl with ice water. Set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place 4 or 5 peaches in the boiling water. Boil 1 minute, remove peaches with a slotted spoon. Slice peach and remove pit. Place sliced peach in the bowl of lemon water to prevent browning. Repeat this process until all the peaches are peeled and sliced.
To make a spice bag, break cinnamon stick into pieces and add to a cheesecloth, along with the ginger and cloves. Tie into a small bag with kitchen string. To a large saucepan add sugar, water and spice bag. Bring to a boil. Boil gently for 5 minutes. Remove spice bag. Drain the peaches and add to the sugar mixture. Boil 3 - 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in bourbon.
Hot pack fruit into hot jars, filling to within 1 inch of top of jar rim. Ladle hot liquid over peaches to within ½ inch of top of jar rim. Remove air bubbles and re-adjust headspace. Wipe jar rim. Place SNAP LID® and screw band on jar. Tighten until fingertip tight. Place in canner on rack. Repeat until all jars are full.
Add enough hot water to the canner to ensure jars are covered by 1 inch of water. Place lid on canner. Bring to a full rolling boil. Boil 20 minutes (adjusting for altitude). Turn off heat. Remove lid and wait 5 minutes. Remove jars with a jar lifter, without tilting, to a protected countertop.
Cool upright for 24 hours. After cool, check that the jars are sealed. Sealed jar lids curve downward. Clean, dry and label with contents and date. Store in a cool, dark place.
TIP: Freestone varieties of peaches are the only type of peach to use when canning. Unlike clingstone peaches, the flesh of freestone peaches separates easily from the pit, making it easy to remove the pit.
TIP: Always have an extra jar and SNAP LID® cleaned and heated. Many recipes are based on a quantity of fruit. The fruit may vary in size, which could result in slightly more end product than will fill the number of jars specified in the recipe.
TIP: If the skin is not slipping away from the peach after blanching, they may not be ripe. Store unripe peaches at room temperature away from direct sunlight. Check each day for ripeness.
*Altitude adjustment for boiling water method
Altitude in feet Increase processing time by
1001 to 3000 5 minutes
3001 to 6000 10 minutes
6001 to 8000 15 minutes
8001 to 10000 20 minutes
