How to Easily Can Peaches

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     There are those who think canning peaches is time consuming and messy.  I am here to show you that doesn't have to be true.  I love to can! And peaches are so delicious when you can them yourself. Home canned peaches are a staple in my pantry.  I found a fairly good buy on peaches the other day, so I bought a bunch.  I thought I would show you my canning process.

     To begin with, you need some basic canning supplies:

• A water bath canner. I have two, one for quart jars and one for pint jars.  Here is a kit that has both pint and quart canners, plus many of the other tools that you will need! 
• Canning Jars, either pint or quart.   I like wide-mouth quart jars for peach halves.  If you have regular mouth jars, they are great for peach slices.  
• Large canning tongs for lifting jars
• New lids and rings to fit your jars.  (You can reuse your jars and rings over and over, but always use new lids>)
• A couple of things that aren't necessary, but nice to have for canning peaches are a funnel and a magnet on a stick for lifting hot lids to place on jars.  Here is a link to a set of all of the little things that you need to make canning easier.  That is much less expensive than buying everything individually.

Now you need to find a really good price on peaches, or have a peach tree or have someone give you peaches off of their tree. I like to can freestone peaches, because that means the pit comes out really easily. If you are canning cling, that is okay, but I would do slices because it is easier to slice them off of the pit that way.

     But, first, you have to peel them!  The peeling process is much easier that you may think! 
Here is my trick:  When you start canning, you want to start the water boiling in the canner right away.  It is a lot of water and it takes it awhile to get to boiling.  And, before you ever start to put the jars in, there are other things that you can use the boiling water for.  So, here is the step by step after you start the water on the stove:
    

Wash your jars with warm, soapy water and get your lids out as well.

I didn't take a picture, but I get my lids ready and put them in a small pan of water to begin to boil. I want to sterilize them and soften the rubber ring.

     All of this time, the water in the canner will still be heating up to boiling hot.  When I have peeled all of the peaches, I set my empty jars on the rack to sterilize and heat them.  This prevents breakage! In all of the years that I have been canning, I have only had one jar break.

While the jars are heating, I make the simple syrup for the peaches. The ratio for the syrup is 1 cup sugar to 2 cups of water. Plus, 2 tsp. ascorbic acid per 2 cups of water. I made my recipe with 6 c. water and 3 c. sugar and 6 tsp. ascorbic acid. Heat it all in a sauce pan and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Leave on the heat until you are ready to use it.

     Now, your jars should be ready and you are ready to fill them! 

When canning halves, just cut your peach in half, remove the pit and drop them, pit cavity down, into the jar. You may have to reach in with a knife to flip them over at first. Packing them this way helps them look pretty and when the canning process is done and they fit into the jars better.

Sometimes when there are bit gaps, I will fit in a smaller slice or two, but you don't want to pack the peaches in tightly and squish them.

After you pack them to within a 1/2 inch of the top, ladle on the simple syrup. Use a thin knife to run down the sides to release as many air bubbles as you can.

     This step is very important!    Use a damp paper towel and wipe off the rim of your jars before you put on the lid and ring.  Any residue left on the jar rim could keep your jars from sealing.    

Once your jars are filled, place them back into the canner and lower the rack.

Once they are lowered, they must have at least 1 inch of water over the top of the lids. Remember that water that you had boiling for the lids? That is a good place to use it if you need to top off your water.

     Now, put the lid on the canner and wait for the water to start to boil again before you start timing the canning process.  For quarts, they must boil for 30 min.  For pints, 25.  So, once you hear the water boiling a good rolling boil, set the timer! 
     When the timer goes off, lift the jars out with the canning tongs! I usually lift the rack first, but that can be difficult, so you can just lift them with the tongs without lifting the rack if you want.  There will be more water dripping if you do, just to warn you.  Now, wait to see if all of your jars seal! Let them do that on their own, no fair pushing the middle of the lid.

Here they are! All sealed!

Canned peaches are so pretty!

       I was going to make a printable label for the tops of the lids, but I didn't get to it.  Before you put them away, wipe your jars off well, and then write with a Sharpie on the lids what you have in the jar and the date you canned it! 
      For a reference, when I canned these peaches, my 8 jars held about 24 peaches.  So, that is around 3 peaches per jar.  Even though I did some halved and some sliced, it came out to be about the same amount of peaches per jar.
 

     The best part about canning is the satisfaction of seeing those jars all lined up in your pantry! You really feel like you've accomplished something! What do you like to can? I hope that you will give peaches a try! 
​      Here are some past canning posts you might enjoy:

Blackberries, Strawberry Jam and Free Canning Labels

Springtime Jammin' Strawberry Jam Tips

Can your own Zucchini Relish.

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