peaches!
what kind of peaches are good for canning? colorado peaches! (colorado peaches are really good, alberta peaches would be the best) and make sure they're cling-free (freestone) peaches. you dont want the pit to cling to the peach (clingstone) when you cut it open. it makes for a messy frustrating canning experience that often ends up with mushy bruised peach bits, or excessive amounts of peach cut away and wasted.
sterilized jars
sterilized rings
peels and pits and any bruised parts, great for the compost bin
some we chunk, some we slice
load the canner
good stuff maynard
the canning kit i wished i'd had when i canned my sauce
necessary canning equipment
pears!
for our own reference, these kind are good pears for canning, even if they're on the small side.
stove setup, clockwise: the big water bath canner, a pot of water for blanching the skins off the pears, a pot of sugar water syrup to pack in the jars, and the little pan with water for sterilizing the lids.
counter setup, right to left: bowl of cold water to cool the blanched pears and rub off the skins, bowl of cold water with lemon juice to help stop browning and hold the peeled pears until they're sliced, knives and towel to slice and core the pears with, metal measuring cup to move syrup from the pot on the stove to the jar, jar to put the slices/chunks of pear in, and funnel to help get the syrup in without mess.
blanching the pears in boiling water, just a few at a time
the peels rub right off after blanching
but sometimes the bottom peels dont all come off, or are bruised and you have to cut the bruises away
mmm, fresh peeled pear
cored and quartered
most awesome rubber spatula for easing the fruit into a better, more tightly packed position in the jar
nummy
peaches:
syrup was 18 cups of water with 5 cups of sugar. we didnt use it all, but we always end up having to mix up a second batch so this way we didnt have to.
32 large peaches
got about 3 1/2 peaches per quart
got 8 quarts and two pints
pears:
14 cups water
4 cups sugar
14 pounds of pears (according to the box), approx 54 little pears
got 6 quarts and 3 pints
So, what do you add to keep them from darkening? I know that the freestones will darken more because of the coloring by the stones.
ReplyDeletewe add maybe a 1/4 to a 1/2 cup of lemon juice to the water in each of the bowls on the counter. you can also use citric acid. they sell citric acid powder now in a little jar by the canning stuff. i keep meaning to pick some up to try it but never remember.
ReplyDeleteand when you're cutting them up to put them in the jar, add a 1/2 cup to a cup of syrup to the jar first so the peach slices/chunks stay somewhat submerged. that helps too.