Peaches for One

Peaches!  The very word conjures up the scent of Summer.  It feels like Summer here lately, all week it has been humid and getting up to 92 each day.  Normal for TX but I was certainly enjoying Spring and not ready for Summer yet. 

Anyway, I picked up a large bag of Georgia peaches last weekend at a good price and peeled and sliced them into a large bowl.  Sprinkled with sugar and fruit fresh (to keep them from turning brown), then popped in the fridge to keep cool.  After sitting overnight the sugar and the peach juices combined to make a syrup all by themselves.

I ate some and canned the rest before they went bad.  I have 5 half pints of sweet goodness, the perfect size to open and eat as a treat.  

I may pick up more if I find them at a good price again.

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The nice thing about peaches and all fruits is they are acidic enough that you can process them in a boiling water bath rather than the pressure canner.  I didn't measure or make a syrup for my peaches but here are 2 charts on making syrups in case you are interested.  You can also just can them in water if you choose.

And here's a timetable for water bath processing.  If you are at a high altitude this may be different so I recommend getting more info from your county extension office or pick up a current Ball Blue Book - the canning section at Walmart is a good place to look.

There are lots of tutorials on water bath canning on the internet, a quick search will find you hundreds.  Quaint as the old canning books are, please use current standards to avoid any problems.  Oven canning is no longer approved of by anyone to be safe.  Some processing time changes have been made as well.  Always it is better to be safe than sorry.

Frugally Sustainable