Lesson 2 in Canning: Peach Jelly

One of my favorite fruits of summer is the peach.  I hit the jack-pot when I bought my house because there is a peach tree in the back yard.  Last summer, I had more peaches than I knew what to do with.  We had a lot of peach cobbler last summer and fall, but I also turned a lot of the peaches into juice and froze it.  I am glad I did that!  This summer was terrible (perhaps due to the crazy plague of locusts), and my tree did not have a single peach on it. 

Since my sister has been demanding peach jelly from me for a year, I thawed out some juice and got to work.  Jelly is an awesome way to preserve the sweetness of summer fruits to enjoy all year long.  One swipe of this jelly on a piece of toast in the dead of winter will bring all the thoughts of summer and sun right back. 

Peach Jelly Recipe

Ingredients:

3 cups peach juice (about 3 pounds of ripe peaches and 1/2 cup water)

5 cups of sugar

1/2 cup bottled lemon juice

1 box powdered pectin

Directions:

To Prepare Juice: Wash and slice or chop fully ripe peaches.  Do not pit or peel.  Crush fruit.  Place crushed fruit and 1/2 cup water in saucepan.  Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Extract juice (I usually squish the peaches through a mesh strainer for this).

To Make Jelly: Measure sugar and set aside.  Measure prepared juice, powdered pectin, and lemon juice into a large sauce pan.  Bring to a full boil over high heat, stirring occasionally.  At once, stir in sugar.  Bring to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.  Boil for one minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat, quickly skim off foam.  Pour jelly immediately into hot, sterile canning jars, leaving less than one inch space from rim.  Wipe jar rims and adjust lids.  Process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. 

And be sure to send a jar of it to your sister!

The Awesome Girl's Guide to Easy Canning

While fresh food from the garden is delicious and great, it unfortunately does not last forever.  Thankfully, someone in the 1800's put his brain to use and discovered canning!  Even though food preservation has been around for years and years (just ask your grandma), many younger people are showing an interest in it.  This might be tied into the organic trend or because it is simply awesome! 

The canning process is relatively easy and uniform with just a few tweaks depending on what you are actually preserving.  So get yourself a big ol' pot and can something by using the steps below!

1. No matter what you are canning, you will need some basic supplies.  Large stock pot, glass mason jars, lids and rings, tongs, and a glass of wine (to sip while you wait for the water to boil).  Also, a sweet polka dot apron might come in handy.
2. Fill the stock pot with water and get it on the burner.  While you are waiting for the water to boil, prepare your food (tomatoes, apples, or what have you).  Because you are dealing with food, you will need to sterilize your jars and lids.  I usually put them in the boiling water for about five minutes.  Putting the lids in the boiling water will also help to make the rubber portion a little tacky, which helps the lid to seal onto the jar.
3. Take the jars out and put in your food.  You want to get a good seal between the jar and lid, so be sure to wipe off the rim of the jar.  Set the lid on the jar and screw on a ring. 
4. Some stock pots come with a metal rack that is used to lower the filled jars into the boiling water.  Don't fret if you don't have this.  You can use tongs!  Either way, lower the jars into the boiling water.  Be sure that there is at least one inch of water covering the jars. 
5. Now, sit back with your glass of wine for about ten minutes while the water boils.  Depending on what you are canning, this time may be different.  Once the time is up, remove the jars from the water and set them on a counter at room temperature.  The urge will be there to touch them, but leave the jars alone! 
6. The best part is yet to come.  As the jars and their contents cool, the change in temperature creates a vacuum, which pulls the center of the lid in, sealing the jar.  If you listen, you can hear a distinct "POP!" when the lid indents.  This tells you that the jar has sealed and is safe to move to it's storage location.  If you press on the center of the lid and it presses in, the jar has not sealed and you will need to boil it again. 

Look for more posts on canning specific foods!