Canned peaches
Equipment & Tools
2 32-ounce regular-mouth jars, rings, and lids
Water-boiling canning pot
Rack
Jar lifter
Saucepan
Thermometer
2 large bowls
Strainer
Measuring cups and spoons
Cutting board
Knife
Large pot
Slotted spoon
Silicone spatula
Ladle
Wide-mouth funnel
Small sieve
Towel or drying rack
Ingredients
Produce:
4 lbs peaches
Acidic solution:
12 cups water
3 teaspoons ascorbic acid
Syrup:
8 cups water
4 cups sugar
Recipe Notes
My sisters, Sarah and Amy, and I ate hundreds of canned peaches growing up. There were four treats we could count on eating when visiting my grandparents’ farm: chocolate-covered peanuts, pickles, strawberry jam, and canned peaches. My grandmother canned hundreds of peaches per season, and it seemed she was never in short supply. Most days, we ate them straight out of the jar.
I buy peaches from The Peach Truck, set them out on a soft towel, and cover them with a second soft towel on my counter for two to three days, depending on how ripe they are when I buy them. They should feel squishy-but-not-too-squishy before you can them. They should be ripe but not bruised. Ripeness matters. Ripeness equals easy-to-peel skin which is essential for canning peaches that are smooth to the touch. The more you can them, the more you’ll get a feel for the level of ripeness you prefer before canning.
I use a 2:1 ratio for my syrup: 2 cups of water per 1 cup of sugar. A heavy syrup can be used, as well, if you’d prefer your peaches to be even sweeter. To create a heavy syrup, use a 2:2 ratio.
Step-by-Step Process
Yield: Approximately 2 32-ounce jars
Total steps: 18
Take a look around your kitchen. Make sure it’s a space in which you’re ready to spend some time. Turn up your favorite playlist, open a window, or light a new candle.
Prepare your ingredients, and read the full recipe. Set your ingredients out, and make sure you have every item you need before getting started. Read through each step below to learn your landscape ahead.
Prepare your water-boiling canning pot and jars. Fill your canning pot with water. Place your rack inside your canning pot. Do not yet submerge your rack. Place the jars and rings on top of the rack. Submerge the rack, jars, and rings, allowing the jars to completely fill with water. Ensure the water level is ultimately about 1 inch above your jars. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes. This step not only prepares your water-boiling canning pot, or water bath, but it also sterilizes your jars. (Boiling water may harm the sealant on your lids, so sterilize your lids by placing them in a saucepan of 180°-water for 5 minutes.) Ready your sterilized jars. Once your water-boiling canning pot has boiled for 5 minutes, remove your jars and rings from your canning pot. Remove your lids from your saucepan. They’re going to be hot to the touch, so use your jar lifter to protect your hands. Allow jars, rings, and lids to cool.
Prepare your large bowl of acidic solution. Fill your first large bowl with water and ascorbic acid: 1 cup of water per ¼ teaspoon of ascorbic acid. In total, I recommend using 12 cups of water and 3 teaspoons of ascorbic acid. This solution prevents your peaches from bruising, or browning, once they are peeled and cored.
Rinse your peaches in cool water.
Blanch your peaches. Fill your large pot with water, and bring to a boil. As you’re waiting for the water to begin boiling, fill your second large bowl with ice water. (You can also plug your sink and fill it with ice water. Both the boiling water and ice water need to be ready at the same time.) Once the water is boiling, drop your peaches into the water for 90 seconds. Start timing after the last peach has been dropped. (Do not overcrowd your pot. Blanch a single layer of peaches at a time, and move through a couple rounds of blanching if needed.) After 90 seconds, remove your peaches from the boiling water, and immediately submerge them in your ice water. Allow them to completely cool. While your peaches cool, wash and rinse the large pot you used to blanch them. You can reuse this to prepare your syrup and cook your peaches.
Peel the skin from your peaches. Just as your boiling water was ready at the same time as your ice water, your acidic solution must be ready at the same time as this step. Begin at the top, or stem, of your peach, and move toward the bottom, or tip. Immediately place the peach into your bowl of acidic solution. Keep your peaches here until you are ready to halve and core them.
Halve and core your peaches. Cut your peaches in half vertically. Then, remove the pit using your fingers. Again, immediately place each peach into your bowl of acidic solution until your large pot of syrup is ready.
Prepare your syrup. In your large pot, bring 8 cups of water and 4 cups of sugar to a simmer. The reason we simmer our peaches in a large pot of syrup rather than water alone is we must prevent bruising, or browning, until they are in our jars and submerged in syrup. Similar to our acidic water, our syrup acts as a short-term preservative as we complete these steps.
Briefly cook your peaches. Transfer your peaches to your large pot of syrup, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Pack your peaches. Take a single halved peach at a time out of your syrup using your slotted spoon. Tightly pack your peaches into your jars with each cavity facing downward. This helps prevent pockets of air inside our jars.
Transfer your syrup into your jars of peaches. Your syrup will be very hot, so do this carefully. Use your funnel to guide each pour, and use a ladle or a measuring cup to transfer your syrup. Fill each jar to the lowest part of the jar’s mouth, about ½ inch below the rim of the jar. You may ladle your syrup over a small sieve for clearer syrup.
Remove air bubbles. If you see any air bubbles in your jar, use your spatula to guide them out.
Tidy up. Wipe your jars clean, especially the rim of each jar, with a warm, damp towel.
Add your lids and rings. Tighten.
Process your peaches. Submerge your jars into your water-boiling canning pot. Allow your jars to boil for 30 minutes. Begin your timer once your water is boiling. Adjust for altitude if needed.
Cool. Carefully remove your jars from the water using your jar lifter, and set them on a towel or drying rack to cool.
Ensure they have sealed. Once cooled, ensure your jars have sealed properly. You can do this via two ways: listen for your jar to “pop,” an audible indication it has sealed, or push the center of the lid to see if it pops up and down. If it doesn’t, it’s sealed! Date your jar, and store for up to one year. If the lid does pop up and down, it did not seal. Simply put that jar in your refrigerator, and enjoy within one month.
