Peaches in Syrup
Peach season means it is truly summer in Canada. Besides their incredible taste and colour, they are a nutritional power house. Packed with Vitamin A and C as well as being a good source of antioxidants, peaches are a flavourful way to stay on a healthy eating plan. Even canned peaches have been found to have similar health benefits as fresh peaches. Meaning you can eat peaches year round and still get similar health benefits (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. AUGUST 2019). The beauty of peaches is their simplicity of preserving. Peel, cut and can. I serve peaches all winter long either as a dessert, on top of pancakes or straight out of the jar.
Peaches in Syrup (Raw and Hot Pack Method included)
Adapted from A Guide to Home Preserving, Bernardin 1990)
Ingredients
20 – 25 lbs fresh, ripe peaches
10 cups water
5 cups sugar
Colour preserving
2 gallons water
½ lemon juice
RAW PACK METHOD
Directions
Fill a large bowl with 1 gallon of ice cold 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 and place them in an ice water bath. Skins will easily slide off. 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 the syrup, heat water and sugar to a gentle boil. Keep warm until ready to use.
Drain peaches and pack into hot jars to within 1 inch of the top of the rim. Cover with syrup to within ½ in of top of 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 25 minutes for pints and 30 minutes for quarts (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.
Hot Pack Method
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 7 clean, warm 1 litre 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 and place them in an ice water bath. Skins will easily slide off. 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 syrup, heat to a boil. Drain peaches and add to boiling syrup. Bring back to a boil. Pack fruit into hot jars to within 1 inch of top of rim. Add hot syrup to cover 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 for pints and 25 minutes for quarts (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: Raw packed peaches will rise to the top of the jar. Hot packed peaches will float throughout the jar.
*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
