Healthy Heath

Yes We Can, Can, Can! August 24, 2011

The best thing about having gone to a peach festival is… getting peaches! Today, I decided to can some of my peaches so that I can enjoy their delicious goodness in the cold winter months.

Canning was always something that scared me a bit. How do you ensure that your food doesn’t go bad? What if it doesn’t come out as delicious as possible? How can I think of boiling food when it’s 96* outside??? I decided to get over these concerns, bite the bullet, and can those peaches!!! So, here are some easy step by step instructions so that you too can can some delicious fruits.

1. First was your jars in hot, soapy water. Rinse them well, and keep them warm by putting them in a hot water bath.

2. Wash off the peaches to remove some of the fuzziness. Place the cleaned peaches in boiling water for 30-60 seconds, or until the skin splits a bit. Next cold shock the peaches in ice water so that the skin splits.

3. Peel the peaches. If you have flash boiled them properly, the skin should literally just slide off the fruit.

4. Half the peaches to remove the pit. If you would like (as I do) slice the peaches into eighths. Fit as many pieces into each warm jar as you can leaving 1/2 and inch from the top of the jar.

5. Make a light syrup to pour of the fruits. Combine two cups of sugar with one quart of water. When the syrup starts boiling, you’re ready to put it into the jars. Make sure that you leave 1/2 an inch of room in the jar so that the juices can expand while the jars are being boiled.

6. Put the top and the rims on the jar, making sure that they are tightened. Place the jars into a canning pot with a rack to keep them in place. The jars need to be covered with an inch to two inches of water. Cover. Boil for 25 minutes if you are canning pints, 30 minutes if you are canning quarts.

7. After the boiling time, place the peaches on a towel, away from drafts, to cool. As the jars are cooling, wait for the magic moment when the top pops in. This means that you have done everything correctly*, and that the jar has created a vacuum seal!

Don’t they look so pretty?! Now all you need to do is get some fruit, and have fun. There is nothing quite so delightful as opening a jar in the middle of winter, which you canned. You can, can, can do it!

*As an as aside, if the fruit has turned black or brown, or looks suspicious at all… don’t eat it! Use the sight and smell rules that apply to food. If it doesn’t look or smell good, avoid it. Other than that- enjoy!