Canning Guide

Place your canning jars in an empty dishwasher and run them through a cycle with your regular dish machine soap. They do NOT need to be boiled or heated in the oven. In order to prevent spoilage (i.e. “sterilize”), you will be processing the filled jars for a tested amount of time in a water bath canner.

Mix 3 cups sugar with 5 cups bottled water for each batch of 7 jars that you will use. Heat until the sugar melts; cover.

Bring your blanching pot to the boil and reduce the heat to a simmer.

Place 2-3 trays of ice cubes and ½ cup lemon juice large bowl or bucket. Fill the bowl half full with water. Add more ice if the water becomes warm.

Wearing gloves, slice through the seam of each peach—all the way around. Slicing only 3 at a time, lower them in the boiling water, and remove with a slotted utensil after 30 seconds-1 minute. If the peaches are fully ripe, the skins will slip off easily and the fruit will split nicely. If the skins do not loosen, then the fruit isn’t ripe and you must wait another day or two.

Using both thumbs, gently push the skin of the peach from the blossom end toward the stem end. Pull the skin off, and gently push your thumbs into the knife slice—the hot water will have opened it up a bit. Remove the pit from the stem end; place both halves into the lemon/ice bath. Repeat the process, working a few peaches at a time, until you have done a full canner load, approximately 40 peaches.

1. Arrange the halves rounded side up in a circular pattern until the jar is full.
2. Using a spouted pitcher, fill the jars with syrup, leaving about 1/2” of space at the top.
3. Squirt a bit of lemon juice over the top peach; about a teaspoon.
4. Wipe the rim with a clean towel.
5. Fill a bit more syrup within 1/8” of the top of the jar; leaving very little headspace.* ^{see additional info}

Canning lids are generally heated in a bowl of hot water and removed singly with a magnetic wand (or a butter knife).

Shake the water off, place it on the jar, and screw the ring on top: do not overtighten.

Fill the canner ½ full with hot water, add the filled jars and top up water level so that they are fully immersed. Cover. Bring the canner to a full boil, and begin timing for 30 minutes, more at altitude.

When the time is up, turn the burner off, remove the canner lid, and let the jars sit for 3-5 minutes. When you lift the hot jars from the canner, proceed very slowly; do not tilt or shake the jars. Place them on a tea towel or a rack. Within an hour, the lids should “pop” and you will see that the jar has sealed closed. Read the instructions that accompany the jar lids you are using for more information.

Any jars that do not seal must be opened, wiped clean, and processed again for the same amount of time. This diminishes the quality, so it’s preferred to do this while they are still hot. Alternatively, place those jars in the fridge and consume right away.