Last Saturday I canned a LOT of peaches. Even though I’ve canned before, there were a few lessons I learned that I thought I’d pass along so you don’t have to learn the hard way.
- Blanche your peaches first. It will make peeling them so much easier! Even if you don’t have any extra pots, figure out a way.
- Canning will take much longer than you think it will. Trust me.
- Turkey fryer burners are great for if you have a smooth top stove. They heat up super fast and maintain a good boil.
- The aluminum pots that come with the turkey fryer are great for an extra pot for sanitizing jars.
- Aforementioned turkey fryer pot may be too deep for the magnetic lid lifter to reach, so simply attach a string to it and go fishing!
- Leather gloves are awesome for working with the rack of hot jars.
- It helps if your husband is brewing beer at the same time in the garage so he can keep an eye on the boiling water bath while you are back in the house peeling more peaches.
- Pandora is great to have playing in the background while you peel peaches and curse yourself for not blanching them first.
- Can’t find ascorbic acid? Simply use 5 Tbsp lemon juice to a gallon of water and slice your peaches into it. Fish them out every 10 minutes or so. This will help prevent discoloration.
- Fancy, complicated recipes always sound better when you’re planning the canning. Once you’re in the thick of things, you might find yourself abandoning them for a simple huge batch of plain old peaches.
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Hahaha! I love this post! Especially that hubs was brewing beer as well. Did he use a kit or does he have a recipe he would be willing to share? 🙂 #2 and #10 are soooooo true.
Glad you found it helpful 😉 He does all grain brewing, all kinds of recipes. He’s very active on the HomeBrew Talk forums. Do you brew?
Hubby would love to learn to brew. We have 16 gallons of homemade Watermelon and Cantaloupe wine fermenting at the moment and that is a first for us. I keep insisting that if he wants to learn to brew, that we should be growing hops and such in the back yard. 🙂
Yum! We have not done wine yet. We grow some of our own hops – they are so pretty and easy to grow.
This is super helpful! I haven’t tried canning yet, but I’m building up the courage (and the stockpile of cans) for next summer. Thanks!
One of these years, I will finally can! One of the older ladies at our church has offered to help me and I’ve got to take her up on it. Thank you for the tips and inspiration!
A couple things I remember about canning peaches is that it really helped to wear old clothes because as you peel the peaches the juice starts going down your arms and dripping off your elbows. It really helps to do it with a family member or neighbor too. Many hands make light work as the old saying goes 🙂
All great tips. I would throw in that canning peaches may require sugar, and thus stickiness enters the scene! I have no tips for the stickiness, though it drives me nuts at times.
Yes, canning does take a bit of time. My dh forgets that sometimes. I always plan to do something else in the kitchen when I’m using the steam juicer or the pressure canner. I hate waiting, and need to fill the time. Cleaning works really well.
I am SOOOOO with you on #10!
I was going to make jams and jelly and fruit sauce…..you get the picture. 😉
I ended up putting up my pluots whole with the skins on.
Hi,
This post is so informative. I would love for you to come
share it at FAT TUESDAY. I hope you will
put FAT TUESDAY on your list of carnivals to visit
and link to each week!
http://realfoodforager.com/2011/09/fat-tuesday-september-6-2011/
Your list rings very true at my house, too. You might be interested in my giveaway for a copy of _The City Homesteader_. http://juliecache.com/2011/09/05/frugal-tuesday-tip-more-to-give-away/.html