Home Canning: Part 2

Are you looking for an activity to spend some quality time with your partner or your kids or for that matter your entire family? Well I have the perfect project. Home Canning. It’s great quality time with your partner, and your family. Have some fun in the kitchen together and be rewarded with some amazing food this winter….

Welcome to part 2… Today we are canning homemade peach jam. We were almost out of all the jams that we made last year, so we took a trip to the local farm Charlann Farms https://www.charlannfarms.com/local-farmers-markets To see what was there for the picking.

Peaches are in season and the price was right so we got a 25 pound box and headed home to start cooking. Again we choose the soft peaches, they are at a reduced price and although you have to do some clean up the bounty you get is well worth it. From a box of 25 pounds we were able to can/jar 24 1 cup jelly jars and 6 2 cup fancy pints.

This process is much like the process we use for our Canning of Tomatoes https://gallettasgalley.com/2020/08/home-canning-part-1/ but instead of using the pressure cooker. With fruit jams we use a hot bath to process the jars.

Step one: Clean and skin peaches. First wash peaches, next place peaches in a pot of boiling water for approximately 2 minutes, remove and place into a cool tub of water, peel, remove any bad spots and remove the pit.

Step 2: Cut peaches up and place in a 2 quart container, using a potato masher, mash the peaches up in to small pieces.

Step 3: Combine your peaches and 1/2 cup water to a sauce pan and gently bring to a boil. Cook gently for 10 minutes. You will now add the 6 cups of sugar Bring to a boil slowly stirring constantly until sugar is completely dissolved. cook Rapidly until thick, about 15 to 20 minutes stirring frequently as to avoid it sticking on the bottom of sauce pan. Note if you would like a spice peach jam, during the cooking portion add a spice bag containing 1 tsp. whole cloves, 1/2 tsp whole allspice, and 1 cinnamon stick. remove when peach jam is ready to be put into jars.

Step 4: Pour hot peaches in to hot jars leaving a 1/4 in head space. Clean rims, and adjust caps and process.

And there you have it. Peach Jam… I am attaching a link for the Ball Blue Book the Guide to Home Canning and Freezing. This book will give you all the guidance you need to sucessfully Can at home!!!

https://www.amazon.com/Ball-Blue-Book-Canning-Freezing/dp/B0018Y24VK#:~:text=See%20this%20image-,Ball%20Blue%20Book%3A%20The%20Guide%20to%20Home%20Canning%20and%20Freezing,Edition%20Paperback%20%E2%80%93%20January%201%2C%201983&text=Recipes%20and%20complete%20instructions%20on,makers%20of%20Ball%20canning%20jars.

I hope this has answered some of your burning questions about canning. I would love your feed back or pictures of your Canning adventures…

Enjoy the Journey…….