If you haven’t heard from us in a while, blame the peaches. While this year (again) might not yield a single jar of apple sauce or apple cider, the fruit tree world is making up for it in spades in peaches. These ten (!) peach trees are very happy this year and as a result we’re swimming in them. It’s a little ridiculous. Canned peaches, peach jam, peach cobbler, peach fruit roll ups, peach chutney, frozen peach segments. They’ve all been made this week in our kitchen. If we could completely nourish ourselves during the winter only in peaches, we’d be set.
I’m finally starting to get a firm handle on canning myself. In the past it was typically Scott’s job to do the actual canning, but after 10 years of watching, I started canning on my own last year and this year, I’ve canned each one of our 30+ jars of jam. It’s quite a satisfying feeling and not nearly as intimidating a project as I once thought it to be. Last year when I was first attempting it, I had to have the kitchen quite orderly, the kids out of the room and my entire focus on the task at hand. This year, I caught myself fishing out lids out of boiling water with cluttered counter tops and a two year old swinging around my legs. Not at all safe for the wee-one, I realize, but I’ve come a long way in canning confidence. We’ll work on safety at a later date.Oh, this is a few years old now, but if you need some cute labels for the top of your jars (my canning pet peeve is labels on the face of the jars…so hard to get off!) I have some free downloadable canning labels you are welcome to.
Living in Georgia I should know how to can peaches, but I’ve never done it! May this will be the year I start! Very nice!
One of my most favorite treats growing up was eating frozen peaches. My mom preserved lots of food by canning and freezing. I would sneak into the deep freeze, get a pint container of frozen peaches (in a light syrup) and devour them. She wasn’t too happy when she went to get peaches for a cobbler or pie and found she didn’t have as much as she thought she did.
It has been all about peach preservation around here too. Tomorrow: the plums. Gotta love it.
It’s a good peach summer down here in Bakersfield too.
Ooooooh Yum! I can smell you peachy kitchen right now. I haven’t canned peaches in a long time but you never forget the sweetness in the house.
very cool! Our apples (northeastern petaluma) were also bad this year…strange.
Your pictures are so beautiful–and, oh, those peaches look good! I’m imagining their wonderful smell… What a bounty you’ll have for Winter!
Here in Fremont (South SF Bay) our neighbor’s peach tree is a little behind yours. They’re just beginning to show that lovely blush of the ripe fruit. We’ve been enjoying a few windfall peaches though, dropped from the one branch overhanging into our yard.
Hi! I was wondering if you would ever consider trading peaches for Gravenstein apples! Maybe next year!