sprinklefingers

things are can-tastic around here right now. my pantry is overflowing with all sorts of canned delights. beans, jam, apple butter, onions - you name it and i’m figuring out a way to preserve it. but the one item i’m most proud of? meyer lemon and raspberry balsamic peach preserves. delicious by the spoonful. tasty on a slice of crusty bread with sharp cheddar. yummy stirred into yogurt. savory or sweet - these preserves are perfect.

wait. what’s that you say? peaches are delicious on their own…why add lemon and whatever else you said? look. i get it. peaches are perfect on their own. but these preserves - there’s just something special about them. and you know how you can find out for yourself? two ways:

1. invite yourself over to my house for a snack.
or
2. make the peach preserves yourself.

while #1 sounds fun, i must admit that i’m not very much fun right now. first of all i have a horrific burn on my forehead that is slathered in antibiotic ointment around-the-clock. so, not only is there a giant burn front and center - but it’s a giant SHINY burn. awesome.
additionally i just spent several hours simply mulling over the idea of alphabetizing my food-related books. i start to think it’s a good idea and then i get stuck here: do i implement a self-imposed checkout system to ensure the books are returned to the correct place when i’m finished with them? even if i’m the only person ‘checking’ them out? should i hire a part time librarian? or maybe just a book assistant? ahhh!

i’m telling you right now, you’ll be much safer if you make the preserves yourself.

meyer lemon & raspberry balsamic peach preserves

notes:

this recipe yields approximately 14 cups of preserves. that may seem like a lot, but if you’re going to do the work i’d suggest you stick with the amounts listed in the recipe and make this whole ‘making preserves’ thing worth your while. you won’t be sorry once you taste it!

to peel peaches: boil a pot of water. wash peaches then cut a small X in the bottom of each. submerge peaches, 4 at a time, and let blanch for 1 minute or so. pull the peaches out of the water (let cool a bit) and peel them, starting at the X you made.

to remove pits: since you’re not turning these peaches into pie, it’s perfectly acceptable to take the slimy peach in your hand and squeeze out the pit. you basically crush the peach, but you’ll still have big bits left for your lovely preserves.

the pectin: it isn’t entirely necessary - your preserves will be a bit thicker with the addition of it and a bit runnier with the elimination of it. having made preserves both ways, i have to say i sometimes like the pectin. but i understand those who don’t. so i’m leaving it up to you.

you need:

• 12 lbs peaches - peeled & pitted (see above.)
• 2 meyer lemons - use the juice of BOTH and the zest of ONE
• 4 T raspberry balsamic vinegar
• 7 cups sugar
• 1 package low-sugar pectin (see above.)

to make the preserves:

1. put your peeled and pitted peaches into a large pot. add the lemon juice, zest and vinegar.
2. if using pectin, mix it with 1 cup of the sugar. stir this into the peaches. (if you are not using pectin, simply add 1 cup of the sugar to the peaches.)
3. gently heat the peach mixture so that it comes to a full boil. because you are doing this gently (gently!) it make take a good while. just give it time and stir often to prevent burning.
4. once the peaches are boiling, add the remaining 6 cups of sugar and return to a boil. allow to boil for 1 or 2 minutes then remove from the heat.

while the preserves are heating you’ll have time to prepare your jars and water bath for canning. because this recipe yields at least 14 cups you’ll want to have 14 half-pint or 7 pint jars sterilized and kept hot while waiting to be filled.

ladle the preserves into the prepared jars leaving 1/2 an inch of headspace. add the lids and screw bands then carefully place in your canner.

process these preserves for 10 minutes. remember to start your timer after the water has returned to a full boil.

[don’t forget: full water bath canner instructions are available here.]

so, no. you can’t come over. i’m too huge of a mess for you to see me right now. you’d better go buy some peaches…

i cannot wait until tomorrow.
why?
because tomorrow i actually have a few spare minutes to (finally) get peaches. how many? i’m not sure. as many as i can carry, certainly. and how many peaches can i carry? well, i’ll answer that question by telling you that i can (no shit) do a one-armed pullup. i’m pretty sure that means i can carry a crapload of peaches. and i hope so. because i’m making jam. and i’m saving some for canning. and i definitely see a peach cobbler or two on our dessert menu this week.

when i sat down at my computer to map out exactly which farm i’ll get my peaches from, i first took a quick trip to the guardian’s website. and what is hugh fearnley-whittingstall focusing his column on this week? peaches! amazing! but not as amazing as every single recipe he lists…looks like i’d better add a few more peaches to my load tomorrow…