Bottles of Sunshine

There is something about homemade canned peaches that makes me happy. I love the cute mason jars and the color of the peaches. They just look like little bottles of sunshine and they taste amazing!

My grandma and grandpa Fowers came to visit us this week and they brought yummy peaches from their tree. My grandma also gave me a jar lifter. She asked me if I had a tall pot to process the peaches in because the water has to cover the jar and I said no, but that I could go look at the DI some time and get one. She asked how close the DI was and when I told her it was just down the street she said "let's go!" We found a tall pot for $5.00 and she bought it for me. She told me the peaches needed to get done the next day, so I got to work! I am so grateful she brought me the peaches because canning is a skill I want to learn, but I needed some help to get started. Thanks grandma!

I have canned peaches with my mom before but this was my first time doing it by myself....well almost by myself. I did call my mom with some questions. I am so grateful for moms, mom-inlaws, and grandmas who pass on their knowledge and skills to help me be a better mom and to some day teach my kids cool things like canning peaches.

Here is what you need:
-about 35 ripe peaches.
-12 mason jars. I used pint jars for my little family but quart jars are great too. Just so you know, the jars were over a dollar cheeper at walmart than at my local macy's.
-A water bath canner or a tall pot for processing the jars. The pot has to be tall enough to cover the jars in water and then some so the water doesn't boil over.
-3/4 c. Sugar & 6 1/2 c. water for a light syrup
-jar lifter


Here is how to do it:

1. Blanch the peaches.

Fill up a pot with water and bring it to a boil. Place peaches into the boiling water for about 30 seconds and remove them from the water with a slotted spoon or strainer. Place the blanched peaches into cold water so they don't continue to cook. I filled my sink with some cold water and put them in there. Repeat until all your peaches are blanched. This step makes it so the skin peels right off and makes the cutting and peeling much faster.

2. Make the syrup.

Stir 3/4 c. sugar with 6 1/2 c. water in a small pot and bring to a boil. When the water comes to a boil, remove pot from heat. The syrup is done!

3. Now it's time for the long and tedious part, peeling and slicing. While the syrup is cooking on the stove, I like to start slicing my peaches. Cut them in half first, peel the skin and slice them into eighths and place them right in the jar. I tried quarters too but with the smaller pint jars I felt like I could pack more peaches in when I sliced them smaller. Keep an eye on your syrup so it doesn't boil over! Once you have your peaches in the jar, poor the syrup in the jar. The jars need space at the top to process and seal so make sure not to fill them up past the start of the ridges where the lid screws on.

My pot holds four jars at a time so I filled up my first four jars and got them processing before I filled the rest of my jars with peaches and syrup.

4. Time to process! Put the lids on the jars and place jars in the water bath canner or tall pot. Cover the jars with water and bring the water to a boil. It's a lot of water so it takes some time!! Once the water is boiling set a timer for 35 min. After the jars have been processing in the boiling water for 35 minutes, remove them using the jar lifter and place them on a towel to cool. Repeat steps to process the rest of the peaches. As they cool you will hear little popping noises and that means the jar has sealed! Congratulations!!!

5. After the jars have cooled completely test that the lids have sealed. Do this by tapping on the lid. If it caves in and makes a popping noise the jar has not sealed. If the jar isn't sealed, open it up and woo hoo!! You get to eat the peaches. If the lid stays firm when you tap it the jar is sealed and can be stored up to 2 years...yay! The box the jars come in makes a great place for storing.

And there you have it. It takes some work and practice, but most good things do! I had enough peaches to do 2 batches and I was way  I'm grateful my grandma gave me the opportunity to learn, the tools to get started, and ripe peaches that had to be canned right away! I can't wait to have a little sunshine in the winter and to have home grown yummy goodness in my food storage.

Tips to make it fun!

Make it a party! Turn on a fun show, play fun music, or listen to a book on audio.

Involve your kids. I tried sitting Oaklee in her play pen with some toys and that didn't last long. Then I put her in her high chair right next to me and tried to sing and talk to her as I sliced peaches. I have a hard time multitasking sometimes...but she let me know when I wasn't giving her enough attention! 

Start with a clean kitchen and clean as you go. My mom is super good at this anytime she cooks. Sometimes when I cook, I feel like a tornado went through my kitchen, but I'm working on it! My mom likes to get out all her ingredients and put them away right after she uses it. Most of the time my moms kitchen is all clean by the time dinner is ready. 

Remember: practice makes progress. I had enough peaches to make 2 dozen jars. I did one batch on Tuesday and one batch on Wednesday. Wednesday went much smoother!

Take a nap when you are done. You deserve it! 

Be you-tiful,

Cheryl