We’re all about learning new stuff these days. For instance Jelly Bean is learning how to tie bows (and therefore only wears things with tie-able parts… and only ties them in the front). So when my friend Heather offered to teach me how to can peaches, I jumped on it. It helped that peaches are super cheap here right now and even though I’ve been doing my darndest, I still cannot eat an entire case before they rot.
So after a tutorial at her house, I decided to put on my big girl bloomers and try my hand at “putting up preserves.” (That’s what people call it, right?)
First step: Enlist some good helpers. I got my two eldest to help me peel and slice the peaches after blanching.
True story: Heather had already done this step before I got to her house and so she just told me to blanch the peaches and rub their skins off, like I had any clue what that meant. Turns out blanching just means dropping the food briefly in boiling water and then putting it in an ice bath. And then the peach skin really does just rub off like magic! (Or the fake velvet on my purple disco platforms! Grr.) Thank you Chef Google!
It takes a long time to wash, blanch, peel and cut a whole case of peaches. A long time. But no fear, the instructions in my canning book promised me that canning is “easy and fun!”
Here’s Son #2 and I trying to look confident and professional. Lies.
This is really what we looked like most of the time! Canning makes me violent. (P.S. Dear Charlotte, please pull back your hair when working with food. We are not rubbing the fur off the peaches just to have your mammalian castoffs end up in the jars.)
After an hour+ of all this hot-water cold-water lukewarm-water stabby business, we finally made it to the bottom of the peach box! Only to discover the stinking rotten peach that is the reason why my car smells like, well, stinking rotten peaches. Curse you, entropy!!
This is what happens to bad peaches. To the compost bin and begone!
Yep, I let my kids use sharp knives. They’re Boy Scouts. They can handle it. (P.S. In case you’re actually trying to learn something about canning from this post, you’re supposed to put the cut peaches into a bowl full of water with lemon or citric acid to keep them from browning.)
Wondering what the younger two were up to? Setting up a “store” in the living room from which to sell our jarred peaches… to their Pillow Pets. Blue dinosaurs love peaches.
At this point I realized I was missing a bunch of important stuff for the actual canning process so I left the peaches soaking in their acid bath and headed out to the store.
The younger two decided they needed to pack “the essentials” to go to the store. Yes, we really backpacked all this stuff in the store. And out of the store. And under, over and through the store. Purple Unicorn even made a potty pitstop. Unicorns have itty bitty bladders. Sigh. And my husband wonders why it takes me so long to go grocery shopping.
Worst part? The store we went to had NONE of what I needed. Why doesn’t every store carry obscure canning supplies? Don’t they know about my capricious hipster whims?! By the time I got back and was ready for Phase II (i.e. the actual canning part), my helpers had wandered off to more important projects.
Next up I shoved the peaches in the heated jars (with no help from a funnel) and poured a simple syrup over them. My original intention had been to just can them in water – no sugar added! – but according to my Big Book O’ Canning, if you’re not using a pressure canner (I don’t even know what that is but I’m sure Target doesn’t have it) you must use sugar. So I just used the bare minimum.
All that was left was to drop those suckers into the boiling water bath and let them sit for 35 minutes. No sweat! Oh, except it was 98 degrees outside and twice that inside. LOTS of sweat. What did the book say? “Fun and easy?” More like hot and sticky.
But it all ended well! All my jars sealed and I ended up with 11 quarts of bottled peaches.
And they must have been pretty tasty because by the end of today, we only had 8 left! So pretty!
Was it worth the time, money, supplies and sticky floors? I’m actually kind of on the fence. I could have bought glass jars of peaches at Costco (with no added sugar, even) for less money and time invested. But at least now I know how to do it? Skillz are important. And maybe they’re healthier? And I can say I own a water bath! I may try it again. My ultimate goal is to do spaghetti sauce…
Have you ever canned? Did you ever learn how to do something yourself that was most likely cheaper and easier to buy?And is it just me or do my peaches have waaaay too much liquid in there?!
Hi Charlotte, great work with the canning! I haven’t canned yet, but it’s on my list of projects to do when I have a) time b) a canner c) a bulk of food. I think it’s a great way to store food that you know exactly where it came from, plus so much more energy and fossil fuel efficient then buying canned stuff from the store, which is gas-heavy because of the weight involved trucking water from one side of the country to the other. These days, I mostly freeze left over produce, but I’m so psyched to try “putting up my food” as it were. However, I also am fully aware that it will probably be a tremendous pain in the tushy. However, this week is all about making reusable grocery bags, so we’ll see how that one goes.
Good point about the transportation costs! And judging from your post title it sounds like you know what you’re talking about! Off to read now:) Good luck with the bags!
Love this post! I don’t really have anything of value to say regarding canning, other than I admire you for even attempting it 🙂
Jen
Jen.amileamemory@gmail.com
Haha, thanks!
Canned salsa with friends…huge mess, lots of laughs and GREAT salsa. That said, have NOT done it again cause you have to can in summer, when it is hot! and we have no air conditioning and I HATE being hot! My suggestion? Get some friends together and do the canning..that’s how the Amish do it. Many hands make light work and all that. FYI: a pressure cooker is just a special pot with a very tight lid and a gauge that heats up to and cooks quickly using pressure. Great for canning and killing off those botulism spores! And no I don’t own one, but I have friends who do. Friends who can. Friends who won’t just GIVE me the canned fruits and veggies so I don’t have to do it myself! So, are they really my friends? j/k!!
Enjoy your peaches and the new skills you’ve learned. You are now a food preservationist!!! Go Charlotte!
Hahah I need a group of friends like yours! Canned salsa sounds delish… I’m intrigued now… Gotta get me a bestie with a pressure cooker now!
This is exactly why I liked the book, Make the Bread, Buy the Butter so much, in that it was a fun look at which items are perfectly fine from the store and which you might want to make yourself, if you’re so inclined.
I’ve never canned, mostly because I’m sure that my inattention to detail would give us all botulism by the end of the meal.
Just rq’ed it from the library- thank you for the rec!!! And yeah, I was a little worried my ADHD would result in food poisoning… thankfully the kids are eating them faster than they could rot lol
I was just about to recommend that book! for those of you who haven’t read it, here’s a review by NPR: http://www.npr.org/books/titles/143728799/make-the-bread-buy-the-butter-what-you-should-and-shouldnt-cook-from-scratch-ove
Oh, silly hipsters and they’re romanticizing all things “poor”. (said teasingly but with a bit of sass, too)
Canning my own produce would have to be exponentially cheaper from the start before I would suffer through it again. As a kid, my mother (and grandmothers) canned all kinds of stuff and it was a big azz mess that left me going to school stinking like whatever was being “put up” that week. Trust me, it’s not so bad to smell like homemade strawberry jam but vegetable soup and sauerkraut are NOT smells you want clinging to you (and they do cling, oh how they cling). (and speaking of kraut, you have to ferment that crap yourself in a heavy crock in the basement–yes, you have to scrape the stank foam off the top every few days until it’s just the right amount of rotten THEN can it–nasty, nasty, nasty. Something else? You put a weight on the top to squeeze out all the ick. Our weight was a one liter plastic bottle filled with b.b.s. Yummy!)
So I just don’t “get” the whole hipster obsession with canning, especially if you have to buy all the produce and the supplies first. It’s not more cost effective.
(note, I’m not extending this to fancy canned items like jams/jellies or even the foul kraut. Some stuff you just like a homemade version of so making it yourself is worth the time effort. But canning basics like straight produce is a huge time suck.)
(second note: If you have time to kill and money to burn, by all means can all the things and have a good life. But don’t be shocked when bitter hill billies like myself roll our eyes at you)
So true. I have friends who can, and some of them keep trying to get me to join in. I (only half-jokingly) tell them I’m too close to my peasant roots to appreciate it.
Yeah, my mom didn’t can much but weirdly she did make kraut! (She’s like 110% German.) Although we had some kinds that just fermented in the jar and didn’t need the extra prep? I agree though that this does seem like one of those things that have swapped from a necessity to a hobby. On one hand I’m like “eh, just buying it from now on” but on the other hand I am glad that at least I kind of know how now. In case I ever need to do it. Zombie apocalypse?
I do a LOT of canning – tons of pickles, jellies, jams, salsa, pasta sauce. It becomes a lot more cost effective after you accumulate all the equipment you need and build up a stockpile of jars that can be used over and over again. It is also a lot more cost effective if you grow all the produce yourself! Also, there are lots of store-bought items that come in glass jars that can be re-used for canning and will fit standard lids and rings, so if you don’t care if all your jars match, that’s a good way to cut down your canning costs.
Good point. Now that I own the water bath and a couple dozen jars, it’s a sunk cost. As for growing the produce ourselves, my husband would love to! He started a small garden this year at our new house and has already signed up for a community garden plot next year:)
The other thing about canning: when you give someone a gift of homemade pickles or grape jelly, they look at it as a heartwarming token of friendship. If you gave them a jar of store-bought Vlasics or Smuckers as a gift, they would look at you as a weird cheapskate.
Congratulations, Charlotte! Now on to the next step. Pickles and salsa! (You DID plant a garden this year at your new place, didn’t you?? After all, you had so much time on your hands! LOL) There’s always the Farmer’s Market.
I do a lot of canning – pickles, salsa, jams, jellies. There are many things you can preserve without a pressure canner, now that you have a hot water canner. Need my recipe for Mustard Beans? Salsa? Dilled Carrots? Hot & Spicy Pumpkin Chutney? Pickled Beets?
I must say, I am impressed, and have enjoyed watching you blossom over the years! You rock!
This is so your area of expertise!! (By the way, I still use YOUR pie crust recipe with lard, only!) I wish I could can with you and learn!! And… yes, please to the pickled beets. I LOVE BEETS. Dilled carrots sound yummy too…
I shall send you some recipes and instructions!
I want all those recipes!! Are thy on your blog? Off to look….
I’ve canned enough to know that when it comes to peaches I love peaches that someone else has canned for me, but freeze them for myself. All the same steps up until you dump them into the jars with syrup so there is no sugar added. I do prefer home made pickle relish & we make some beets that are to die for though – so I’m not 100% canning opposed, just selective about what & how much.
I’m ALL about the freezing stuff! I’ve done plenty of that and it’s generally worked pretty well. And it’s way easier than canning… I LOVE pickled beets.
It’s much more fun if you have some “canning buddies” to socialize with . I used to can Peaches & Pears, with a “buddy” but when she moved away it was just too much work and store bought are almost as good. But I still can Jam, (peach is my fav), green beans, zuccini relish (num), and Pickled greeen beans (really NUM). And you can use a pressure pan for cooking too, it’s not just for canning.
I must investigate these pickled green beans! And yeah, I think everything is more fun with a buddy:))
Canning is best when done with a big group of friends. I actually really detest canning (especially itch inducing peaches) but it’s fun to get together with all my sisters in law every year and can.
Good job!
Yes, it is becoming clear to me that if I ever do this again I need to get me some canning buddies! Love that you use it to bond with your sis-in-laws!
The first and last time I canned, your sister taught me how to can peaches. I love your sister, love the peaches, hate to can. But now I can claim to have the skillz. Good job!
My sister is amazing! I need to can with her…
” . . . mammalian castoffs end up in the jars . . .”
This is called “Protein Cycling.” It’s very nutritionally efficient.
Canning your own makes sense when you have mass quantities available dirt cheap; and intend to repeat on a regular basis.
“. . . by the end of today, we only had 8 left!”
Canning does not make sense if you’re just gonna sit down and eat ’em right away. You could have done that with the perfectly nice, fresh peaches. They’re called “preserves” for a reason (yes, yes, I know. I’ve had kids around the house too. The point still stands for those thinking of giving it a try).
“I’m too close to my peasant roots to appreciate it.”
Which just goes to show how little time it has been since we started calling Crap In A Bag “conventional” food.
This: “This is called “Protein Cycling.” It’s very nutritionally efficient” made me laugh SO HARD. Just thank you.
(And true story about the irony of “preserving” them to eat the next day. Believe me, it was not lost on me. Sigh.)
I have a friend who cans a lot, but she always freezes peaches. They are to die for, and taste fresh when we eat them in the middle of winter. Next year (God willing) you’ll be able to taste fresh Colorado peaches–wonderful, but our freakish spring nipped that in the bud.
I’m hating the 90+ weather, but I promise, September and October are unbelievable here, you’ll see why, “Tis a Privilege to live in Colorado”!
Yeah, I think my peaches were from California? SUPER excited for the weather here! And I actually don’t mind the 90+ the past week or two. Minnesota gets over 90 as well but it’s also muggy as Hades. I’ll take this heat any day. Plus: MOUNTAINS. AAAAHHHH!
So proud of you!!! 17 years ago I was about to uproot my famly from MT to SD and a couple friends and I did peaches and pears. All winter whenever I took out a qt for my family I had such special memories of the day spent with 2 friends canning back hom.
You will enjoy those this winter whenever you open a qt you have have fond memories and so will your darlings!! Good for you!!!!
Aw, I love this! The memories may be the best reason ever to keep doing this:) Thank you for the reminder, Jane!
It may not seem worth it right off, but once you open those cans, I bet you will totally understand why people do it. They will be amazing! Let us know!!
Thank you Courtney! We actually already ate some (I know, I know) and they were delish!
I was just emailing with another gardener friend about canning. I’m intimidated beyond belief by it. I usually make freezer jams and salsas and freeze fresh produce, but I have a tiny freezer and it is already full. I have to either bite the bullet and can things or buy a chest freezer.
I think canning is really only worth the effort in some cases – when you have cheap produce, first of all. But also only for some things. Fresh fruits and veggies, I would just freeze. Even jams and chutneys and suaces. But things like pickles and dilly beans can’t be frozen. I eat a lot of pickles and am growing tons of cucumbers. looks like I’m going to have to learn to can. Crap.
Great job, Charlotte! You’re a braver woman than I – I’m still too scared to try preserving anything lest I end up poisoning myself (and others). But one day, ONE DAY, I swear I will try and make my own sauerkraut.
My go-to solution for excess produce is always freezing, particularly with fruit. Hmmm, I wonder what a peach smoothie would taste like…
If you think buying canned peaches would be easier and cheaper, just wait until you make sauce. Or at least that’s what I remember from the summer my grandmother decided my sister and I needed to learn how to do it. If you enjoy it, go for it, but just remember your time has a value, too.
I’m VERY impressed!
And your family is gorgeous (including the purple dinosaurs, et. al.)!
Perhaps you’ve created a new workout: Tired of Hot Yoga? Try Summer Canning! Although it sounds vaguely pornographic…
Not too much juice. They always do that.
The sugar also plays a part in preserving, so you don’t want to go below the recommended amount.
Water bath is good for some t hings, but pressure canning is the way to go at altitude, on account of the water needing to be at a certain temperature for certain length of time to kill bacteria. The Ball Blue Book has altitude charts, or your County Extension Agent can give you really helpful regional information.
This is something that never ever ever crossed my mind to do!!! 😉 Love the pics though!!! 🙂
Yay for you! Canning is not super fun, but it is very worth it in the dead of winter when you pop open a jar of tomatoes from your garden…MMMMMmmmmm. I can every year. Lots of tomatoes. I also try to do strawberry jam in the spring and grape jelly in the fall. It makes me feel domestic. Also, I got all my canning stuff from my mom and dad, so that was FREE and all my produce/berries/grapes are grown on my property so, basically, FREE! I also appreciate that there is no nasty BPA lining in my home canned tomatoes. The first time is always the worst, too, because you’ve never done it, don’t have a solid technique, and it’s HOT. You’ll do it again, I bet. I think it’s awesome that you wanted to try, so you DID!
Thanks for sharing the experience Charlotte! My in-laws always can tomatoes and other fruit, but I’ve never been a part of the process. It was good to get an insider’s view on the whole process. Seems like a lot of fun!
Those do look like some pretty good canned peaches. At least you have the experience to say you did it once, even if you choose to never do it again. Plus, now your kids see what kind of effort goes into those things you buy at the store, so they could possibly have a greater appreciation of the jars of peaches at Costco.
My mother canned beets and grape jelly when I was in high school. Apparently it is the thing to do in Colorado. I just stick to storing things in plastic bags in the freezer stacked flat. I don’t have the patience to can. But i do keep things in the fridge and dry ingredients in cans. That’s close, right?
I can salsa every summer. It always feels like a lot of work, but I always end up being glad I did. I have canned peaches a few times because I love the free stone peaches so very much and we only have them for a short time every summer.Last year I made peach salsa. Two birds with one….jar?
When my husband was young, his grandpa lived with them. They all went strawberry picking one time and my mother-in-law intended to do some canning as well as make strawberry pies.
She came home from work soon after to find out grandpa had made jam and canned every last strawberry. He then proceeded to eat an entire jar a day till they were gone.
My wife once bought 10 lugs of peaches. We couldn’t begin to eat or give away that many peaches. We ended up canning 98 quarts of peaches one night. We canned all of them in water only and canned them in a water bath. (The instructions must have been different then.) Good times were had by all! We ate those peaches several years later with no ill effects. Not sure they would price out, but there is quite a bit of satisfaction eating something you put up yourself. (We don’t call it putting up preserves unless we are actually making preserves.)
We also can stewed tomatoes, salsa, pickles, jams, jellies and other fun stuff. I mostly can because I enjoy it and have fond memories of canning as a kid. (Think about all the fun memories your kids are building.) Probably our favorite canned goods are pickled asparagus, salsa, stewed tomatoes and chokecherry jelly. We also give canned goods away for Christmas gifts.
Another fun part of canning is picking fruit for jams and jellies. We have a pie cherry tree in the yard that provides more than enough cherries for anything I could dream up. We also pick chokecherries, wild plums and crabapples when we can find some.
If the heat is an issue, you can always do the actual cooking on a camp stove outside. Generally we end up canning when it is hot, so it really doesn’t make canning any more comfortable, but it does keep the house cooler.
LOL! I love the pictures and part about the grocery store especially…is this what I have to look forward to with my 1-year-old?! Anyway, I’ve never preserved fruit, but I’ve tried many a homemade project that ends up being way more expensive than if I’d just bought it. Like my daughter’s 1-year birthday skirt, which cost me nearly $40 of tool, ribbon, etc. at Joann’s (at 9pm!) the night before her party. At least I could say I made it myself, but it definitely would have been cheaper if bought in advance!