Later varieties of peaches should be available through mid-late September this year. If you buy or pick large quantities of fruit, it’s a good idea to spread it out in one layer so you don’t end up with a mushy mess when the fruit starts to ripen. I also add a small bowl of apple cider vinegar to the mix to keep the fruit fly population down. It works beautifully.
If you are planning to can peaches, you want to be sure you pick up freestone, cling-free fruit. This means the skins will slip off easier and the fruit won’t cling to the pit. Wait until your fruit is nice and ripe before you start, or peeling and pitting will just be an exercise in frustration.
Below is an illustrated guide to canning peaches using the cold/raw pack method. Everybody has their own little quirks or variations, but this is a basic guide to get you started:
To avoid stressful canning times, I follow two rules:
- I (almost) never can alone. There is safety in numbers. Small groups of 2-4 turn a long, hot job into a fun, productive day.
- I prep as much as possible in advance:
- Small bowl – sanitize the lids. Simply microwave a dish of water and add your lids to the hot water. You could also do this with a small pot of water on the stove, but stovetop space is prime canning real estate. I never bother with sanitizing the bands/rings as they don’t come into contact with the food. Just make sure you have the right amount on hand.
- - Large pot – sugar syrup. I prefer light syrup. The ratio is 3 cups of water to 1 cup of sugar. For a full canner of 7 jars, you’ll need about 9 cups of water and 3 cups of sugar. Combine in a large pot and bring to a simmer. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. This pot can be kept on the stove on low heat.
- - Canner – 7 jar capacity. Canners cost a whopping $17. If you have enough time, energy, and space, you could keep two canners humming at the same time. Fill the canner about halfway up with water. Keep the water warm but not scalding. You should be able to comfortably touch the water with your bare hand. Keeping it warm will decrease the amount of time you have to wait to bring it to boiling for the final step of processing the jars.
- - Shallow pot – Blanching the peaches. Place the peaches in the hot water for approximately 30 seconds. Remove them to a ice cold water bath. They will cool and be easier to peel. Some peach varieties will be easy enough to peel that you can skip blanching altogether. This is a good thing.
- - Wash your jars. Make sure they are clean and free of cracks. Also, run your finger around the rims to make sure there are no nicks as this will prevent your lids from sealing to the jars.
Are you still with me? Hang in there. The prep work is the tedious part; it’s a cake walk from here.
Peel, pit, and cut up the peaches. You can slice, quarter, or halve them. Whatever floats your boat. I like quarters. They’re easy to pop off the pit and fit nicely into the jars. It takes 4-5 medium peaches (about 2 1/2 pounds) to fill one quart. Around 18 pounds should fill one canner of 7 quart jars.
Fill up one jar at a time. Pack the peaches to within 1 inch of the top of the jar, which will be around the bottom of the threaded neck. Shake gently to settle the peaches into their new home. I go for speed; not beauty. My sister always says, “We won’t be winning any 4-H ribbons at the fair.” True enough.
Depending on the variety of peaches you are canning, they may darken slightly from the time they are cut. It personally doesn’t bother me enough to do anything about it. If you are going for that blue ribbon, you can use either Fruit Fresh or lemon juice to keep the color bright and peachy.
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{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
Well, you have certainly made this look easy! There are peaches ripening in orchards all around me. I think I’ll do this next week. Thanks for the tutorial, Emily! BTW, your pictures are great!
I first canned peaches last year and didn’t do enough – only got 6 quarts, which my kids begged to eat right away. This year I did about 50 lbs, and I hope that’s enough to get us thru winter. I’m a totally novice canner, but it truly is easy and so delicious!
cheater, I see those mamma Oakley hands in there! oh, to be back at home with live-in grandparent help for kids and canning!
Some corrections to your process:
You don’t want to _firmly_ screw on the bands. You want them finger-tight. You need the air in the jar to be able to escape for a proper vacuum seal. It sounds like you haven’t had trouble with this yet but you might in the future. When the bands start resisting, stop screwing them on.
In addition to washing your jars, you should sterilize them in boiling water for five minutes, then leave them in the hot water. This prevents the jars from shattering when you put hot liquid into them. It’s nit-picky but I’ve been canning for 17 years and you’ll occasionally get a jar that shatters if you don’t do this.
There’s an additional reason to store jars bands-off: it prevents lid rust and better lets you see any spoiled/improperly sealed jars.
Have fun canning! I’m neck-deep in tomatoes and jalapenos, myself.
I, too, got the Zaycon peaches. AMAZING! Wowee!!
I got all my canning done on Sunday. I worked alone, and would have preferred some help!!
one thing to suggest, use an outdoor cook stove for your canner… that way you don’t scorch your stove, and you can keep the finished product out of your work space… it helps me a ton. I had 3 canners going at one time, and it was nice to have them all outdoors on a hot day!
Great tutorial! One question: where do purchase your canning jars? I usually go to Freddy’s when the are on sale, but the price is still quite a bit. Is there another source for inexpensive canning jars? Thanks!
Fred Meyer, Bi-Mart, Wilco, or Winco are all stores I have bought jars from with coupons.
Or check with a friend or family member who no longer cans. I got tons of great canning supplies this way from a neighbor two years ago. Also, Craigslist can be a good source.
The nice thing about investing in jars is that once you have a good stash built up, you can re-use them each year.
I bought some from Fred Meyer last week for around $10. Then I saw them at Albertson’s for less. I think they were around $8.50. Hopefully you can find them for cheap!
where do i get a canner? i want to do start doing this… might have to wait till next year though… but better get my supplies in advance!
Check Fred Meyer or Bi-Mart.
Where will you be getting peaches this weekend? I am desperate to find somewhere near me to get them, but the orchards I usually go to all had bad seasons. It looks like I missed the Zaycon deal, but if not let me know.
I skipped picking at orchards this year because our kids are kind of at tough ages to make it an even semi-enjoyable outing. You can find local orchards at http://www.pickyourown.org
You can also call orchards to find out if you could coordinate a pick-up at a local farmers market where they sell. You might get a better price this way without having to pick your own.
Finally, call local produce markets. I have happily used Growers Outlet (161st & Glisan in Portland) for the past 2 years. See what kind of deal they can swing you.
My children eat Cherrios off the floor daily! No canning needed for that. haha. You’ve totally inspired me. I need to find myself some cheap peaches.
If anyone is interested, Fred Meyer has all of their canning supplies on sale for 25% off through September 10. Also, there is an in-ad coupon this week for an extra 10% off housewares that you can use. I went and picked up a 7qt water bath canner plus a 6-piece accessory kit (the lid lifter, funnel, wrench, tongs, etc.) and got the whole mess for $24 out the door!
By the way… thanks for the LOVELY tutorial! I *think* I got your website through Bountiful Baskets. I believe they provided a link because your tutorial was so well done. I’m really sad that I missed out on Zaycon. My friends have been trying to get me to register. I finally did it tonight. Hopefully, they’ll do peaches one more time. If not, I’ll have to be satisfied with applesauce!
Great tutorial. You gave me the confidence to try canning peaches for the first time. I did 20 lbs, but it was so easy I might go back for another 20 lbs box. Thanks!
Instead of making a syrup and getting sticky everywhere, I put a 1/4 cup of sugar into each jar than ladle hot water into the jar. After putting the lid and band on, I invert the jar 3 or 4 times before popping into the canner. Makes a perfect syrup. This is a light syrup. For a very light syrup use 1.5 to 2 tablespoons per jar (4 tablespoons is 1/4 cup).
I usually only freeze our peaches, but I did can some last year. They were amazing! I was surprised how much they retained their fresh picked taste. So unlike store canned. Since I had only used the frozen ones for cobblers and such, it was nice to serve them straight out.
I love the idea of canning with others. I need to find some locals who enjoy canning. So few people do it these days.
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