What to do with a whole bunch of peaches? I didn't feel like just canning them this year. Especially since I don't own a pressure canner, nor do I remember how to use one. I decided peach jelly sounded good. I prefer jelly over jam. I guess the difference is that there are no fruit chunks? I think I went 29 years of my life getting that one mixed up. Anyways, I like whatever is spread on my toast to be nice and smooth. So jelly it was! I scoured the web looking for a good easy recipe. I also don't like how so many recipes just ask for the juice of a fruit. All that straining didn't sound any fun. So here's the recipe I found on Cooks.com.
3 lbs. peaches
1 box powdered fruit pectin
2 T. lemon juice
5 1/2 c. sugar
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| Weigh your peaches. |
Blanching your peaches is the easiest way to get those skins off.
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| Boil for about one minute. |
I bought this nifty little contraption in an attempt to get me to do more canning but using my own pots as a water bath. It was totally worth the $10. I use it for several things in this recipe.
After one minute pull those babies out and toss them in an ice bath. See how handy that green thing basket is?
Now you can slice around the peach and the peach skin should pull off easily.
Slice up your peaches and put them in the blender. Cling peaches, which are what I have, are more difficult to remove the pits. But since these are just going to get blended up they don't need to look pretty!
After your peaches are blended mix 4 cups of the blended fruit with the fruit pectin and the lemon juice. Put the mixture in an 8 quart saucepan and bring to a full boil. Stir constantly.
Immediately add the sugar. Yeah. Jelly is not a "health food."
Bring to a full rolling boil and boil for one minute, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and let sit for a few minutes. Skim off the foam and ladle into jars.
Sterilize the jar lids by boiling. Dry them off and make sure that the mouths of your jars are clean before putting the lids on. If there is jelly on them it will make it more difficult to open them later!
This recipe made 3 pint size jars of jelly for me. Boil your jars in your water bath for the appropriate time. We live at a high altitude so mine needed about 10 minutes. You'll know you processed them long enough if the lids pop down. I love hearing those little pop sounds once they start cooling.
And there they are! Aren't they so pretty? I always feel so accomplished when I have new little jars of food to put down in our food storage.
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