Peach Preserves from Far View Ranch

By Bettye

The methods for making peach preserves are really varied. I developed this one for peaches from Central Texas using several recipes.

Ingredients

• 12 cups sliced fresh peaches
• 2 T. fresh lemon juice
• 3 cups sugar

Preparation

Step 1

1. Bring a large sauce pan of water to boil and maintain it at a low boil level.

2. Drop in several peaches leaving them for long enough to remove the fuzz about 20 seconds or so. Transfer to an ice bath.

3. Peel and slice the peaches into a large cast iron dutch oven.

4. Add lemon juice and sugar. Stir to mix.

5. Let the peaches rest for about 1/2 hour until juicy.

6. Bring the peaches to a boil and then reduce heat to low.

7. Cook peaches stirring continuously until most of the juice has been cooked out of the mixture and the preserves have a thick consistency. The mixture is done if it sticks to the spoon when lifted.

8. Fill 12 oz. jars using sterile technique.

9. Boil a large pot of water and using jar tongs place the jars in the water covering them by about 1 to 1 1/2 inches. Leave them in the boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack. Listen for a popping sound for each jar which indicates that it has sealed. When you press on the lid it should not give at all.




NOTES: Blanching the peaches for 20 - 40 seconds may allow you to pull the skin off the ripe peaches, but it also makes peeling the less ripe peaches much easier.

If you pick from the tree it won't be consistently ripe but even less-than-ripe peaches will cook through. Use a mixture of both.

The color of the mixture will darken to amber. You should have some chunks of fruit in a thick jam. It isn't necessary to check the mixture for temperature. The consistency is the most important feature.

12 cups of fruit should make at least 4, 12 oz jars. Always prepare more jars than you think you need including some smaller jars in case the fruit doesn't come out perfectly for 4 jars.

Check the jars for a seal several times over the next couple of days. If one pops then repeat the canning procedure. Heat a new ring and lid to sterile. Remove the original ring and lid and replace with the new sterile ring and lid. Place in boiling water for 10 minutes. Since the original seal was broken use this jar within two weeks.

If you have preserves that turned out to be too runny you can recook and reseal the mixture.