Ingredients:
Fresh and Ripe Peaches
Salt
Sugar
Clean Canning Jars with matching Lids, & Rings
Preparation:
Gather all your supplies in advance to make things run smoothly. You'll need a water bath for sealing the jars, a large bowl of salt water (the ratio is 1 + 1/2 tsp. of salt per 1 quart of water), a pot of sugar water for syrup (see the ratios below), a small pan or pot of hot water for softening the lids, a pot of clean boiling water and a bowl of ice water for blanching the peaches, and a sharp knife.
Directions:
To prepare your syrup, place water and sugar in a large pot and bring to a boil. For LIGHT syrup use a ration or 1 cup sugar to 4 cups water. For MEDIUM syrup use a ratio of 2 cups sugar to 4 cups water. For HEAVY syrup use a ration of 3 cups sugar to 4 cups water.* Start preparing the lids by placing them in a small pot or pan of boiling water to soften them before using them. Start the boiling water for blanching the peaches. You only need enough water to fully cover the peaches.
Once your blanching water has reached boiling point and while the rest of the water (or syrup) is all heating up, blanch your peaches by placing them in clean boiling water for a few minutes and then in ice water for a few minutes. Peel the skins off the peaches, cut them down the crease and remove the pits. Using a spoon to help pry the peach open in half will sometimes help accomplish the task while not making a mess of the fruit.
When you have enough peaches to do a batch place the peaches in HOT jars (dip the jars in boiling water) and fill the jars with syrup to within 1/2 inch of the top of the jar. Use a knife to remove air bubbles in jar by running the knife up and down the inside edge of the jar. Place a softened lid on the jar and screw it on with a ring. Fill the bottom of your water bath with 2 quarts of water and place the jars on the water bath.
Once the plate is filled with jars place the cover on the water bath and turn the heat to high. When steam is coming steadily out the hole on the cover start the timer. For quart jars start the timer for 25 minutes. For pint jars start the timer for 20 minutes. Once time is up, remove the lid and remove the jars with a jar lifter. (We always place our hot jars on a dry towel while they cool.) Allow jars to cool completely and check to make sure they all sealed. Wipe the outside of the jars with a clean wet rag and label the lid with the current year.
Before doing another batch be sure you have more syrup heating if necessary and more lids softening. Also be sure there is still at least 2 quarts of water in the bottom pan of the water bath before using it again.
*Tip: We usually use a medium syrup for our peaches. Changing the salt water every 4 batches will help keep the peaches less messy. Mom's water bath will fit 7 quart jars at a time and 8 pint jars at a time. 1 bushel of peaches will generally yield between 20-25 quart jars depending on the size and condition of the fruit. If you choose to combine peaches and pears in the same jar you must time the jars in the water bath according to whichever fruit has the longest time, in this case the pears. Pears go for 30 minutes for a quart jar and 25 minutes for a pint jar.
Time to Make: depends on how many batches you do
Difficulty: Medium
Recipe Origin: Mom
