Aug 22, 2012
My 92 year old neighbor has an orchard with lots of peach trees. He is always offering me peaches when they are in season. I canned this recipe for variety, if you know what I mean. A person can only make so many jars of peach preserves, peach salsa and peach wine, right? So I made this. The syrup has a wonderful smell & flavor and the peaches taste great. Make this as the recipe tells you and you will not be disappointed. The only thing I'd suggest is that if you have never canned before, pitt the peaches and place the pitted side down in the jar and work your way up (use wide mouth jars if possible). Another thing you need to know is to get ripe peaches that are freestone. If they are not ripe, the freestone pits will not let go as easily and the peaches are more difficult to peel as well. Place them, skins & all into boiling water for 60 seconds then place them into iced water before peeling (same as when you peel tomatoes when canning). The peelings will come off a lot easier if you do it this way. Then fill the jars with them. Don't overpack the peaches by trying to shove them down into the jar; it will make them fall apart more after canning. You can also put a tablespoon of lemon juice into the jar before putting the syrup into the jar. The lemon juice will keep the peaches a nice color.
—Brenda the Baker
