Home Canned Peaches

Yesterday morning my friend dropped off a case of peaches for me.  You really can't beat homemade canned peaches.  It's been a few years since I canned peaches, so I was really excited to do this.

The peaches were so juicy and ripe!  Absolutely beautiful.  They must be one of the prettiest fruits.

Things You Will Need!

Some things that you will need to can your peaches.

Peaches

Granulated Sugar

Lemon Juice

Quart Jars

Rings

Lids

Measuring Cups

Spoon, Ladle

Rubber Spatula

Jar Funnel

Sharp Knife

Large Pot

Kettle of Hot Water

Jar Lifter

Hot Water Bath Canner

I like to get my kitchen all ready for a day of canning by making sure everything is really clean.  After all, your food is going to be going into Jars to be pulled out and eaten at some later time like a cold winters day.

So, I clean and disinfect everything where the food will be prepared. 

I also fill my canner with water and get it heating on the stove so that it is ready to go by the time I have the peaches ready.

Sterilizing Jars!

Wash and sterilize your jars.  You can do this in your dish washer, in the hottest setting with the sanitize setting.  I don't have a dish washer, so I wash and rinse them by hand in the hottest possible soapy water.  

You can either sterilize with the dishwasher in the sanitize setting, or sterilize your jars with boiling water  by leaving them in the boiling water for 10 minutes.  Another method that I use to sterilize my jars is to put them in the oven at 225* for 20 minutes.  Then I keep them warm in the oven until I am ready to use them.  I sterilize the lids in a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes right before I go to use them.

Preparing the Sugar Syrup.

Making the syrup is pretty easy.  Measure your sugar into a pot, add water and bring to a boil to dissolve sugar.  Keep hot until you pack your jars with fruit.  

Light Syrup:  

2 Cups Sugar 

6 Cups Water 

Yields 7 Cups Syrup.  

Medium Syrup:

3 Cups Sugar

6 Cups Water

Yields 6 1/2 Syrup

Heavy Syrup:

4 Cups Sugar

6 Cups Water

Yields 7 Cups Syrup

I really like the Medium Syrup.  This syrup works for preserving other fruit as well.  I've use it when I can Black Berries.  There is another method for syrup that I read about this year that I tried, but you can read this further down!  

Washing Peaches.

Wash your Peaches.  I just load mine into the clean sink.

I wash each one under cold running water, rubbing them in my hands.  This gets off loose fuzz.

Don't they look yummy?  My girls can't resist eating them...

Peeling the Peaches!

Ok, So a lot of people peel peaches by dipping them  in boiling water for 20 - 40 seconds then putting them into a sink of ice water.  The peels come off quite easy if you do it this way.  Just pull them off with a knife.  Easy Peasy!  This can make it go faster if you have a large amount of peaches.  It also helps if the peaches are a little under ripe and the peals are stuck.

So, what I did this time, since I have a very small kitchen with a very small freezer and only one tray of ice, is peel my peaches by hand without dipping them in the boiling water.  This saved me a step too.  Actually since the peaches were pretty ripe the peals mostly came off pretty easily.  I just ran the knife around the center of the peach following the seam.  Gave it a twist to halve it.  Some I left in halves, some I quartered.  Then using the edge of the knife grabbed the edge of the peal and pulled it back.  Most of the peal just pulled off.  The more difficult ones I just peeled with the knife and peeler.  Easy enough to do.  The riper the peaches the easier they peel.

Preparing the peaches.

Ok, so peel, quarter or halve peaches.  Cut out really soft spots and bruises, and put in lemon juice.

Before I started peeling, I dumped a large bottle of lemon juice into a great big bowl.  As I peeled and quartered, I put the pieces into the bowl of lemon juice.  The lemon juice will help the peaches not to turn brown and discolor.  You can keep reusing the lemon juice as you peel and quarter more peaches.

As your bowl fills with peaches you will have to gently push them down and turn them over to make sure that all the peaches get covered in lemon juice.

Packing the Jars

Pack the peaches into the jars to about 1/2 inch from the top of the jar.  No need to rinse off the lemon juice.  Just leave it on.  Use a spoon or spatula to try and move the fruit around to bet as much in as possible.

Pour or ladle hot syrup to 1/2 from top of jar.   Get out any air bubbles by using a butter knife slipped in the jar to move the fruit to release the air bubbles.  I give the jar a gentle sort of swish-shake to loosen them.

Using a fresh clean damp cloth, give the rims of the jars a wipe to remove any fruit or syrup that may be on them.

Place the lids that you prepared ahead of time by boiling for 5 minutes in hot water on the jars.  I use a fork to lift out the hot lids.  Screw on rings to finger tight.  Do not over tighten them.  

Place the jars of fruit into the canner rack.

Lower the jars so that they are covered in an inch of water.  If there is not enough water, then use some hot water from your kettle to top it up.  

Put the lid on the canner, and bring it to a boil.  With my little stove, I have to make sure it is turn on to max to make it hot enough to boil the water.  

Start timing when the canner comes to a boil.  I let mine go for 20 minutes for quarts.  Canning times may vary depending on your altitude.  http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t--1396/canning-temperatures-and-processing-times.asp

Turn off canner and remove lid.  Once the bubbling has slowed down, lift jars out using your jar lifters.  They will be very hot.   Sometimes the hot bubbling jars will have some liquid push it's way out.  This is usually ok and just leave them until they are cool.  

I place them in a draft free area on tea towels to protect my counter.  DO NOT TOUCH THE LIDS OF THE JARS!  Just leave the jars to cool on the counter.  As they cool, you will hear the most beautiful pinging and popping sounds of the lids sealing.  This is a most satisfying sound.  When the jars are completely cool you will be able to see the centers sucked down.  Yay!  My first batch is out of the canner.

Second Batch!  Another method!

Ok, so for my second batch that went into the canner, I tried something else that I had read about.  We will make the syrup right in the jar.

Peel and prepare your peaches just like I did in my first batch.  Peel, halve or quarter, remove bruises and put in lemon juice.   This time I left the peaches just halved.

Now for this method we will do something different.  To each quart jar, add 2/3 cups of sugar.  I use the jar funnel to keep the sugar off the rims of the jars and to help me from spilling it on the counter... I can be a messy girl.

Next, pour in some boiling water from your kettle.  Just enough to dissolve the sugar.

Give it a stir to dissolve it.

So you have a bit of syrup liquid in each jar.

Next, pack the fruit into the jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space.

You can see liquid part way up the jars.

Now just top up the jars with boiling water from your kettle.  Leave your 1/2 inch of head space.  With a clean cloth, wipe the rims of the jars free of sugar, syrup or fruit to get a good seal.

Place your sterilized lids and rings on jars.  Finger tight.  Place in hot water bath canner, and can as you did the first batch, starting timer once it comes back up to a boil.

Both batches of peaches.  Syrup method on left, Sugar in Jar in right.

After your jars are completely cooled, you can wash them.  They might be sticky from syrup overflowing.  I remove the rings and gently wash the rings and jars, then replace the rings.  Label your jars with the contents and the dates.  Any jars that don't seal can be refrigerated and eaten.

Now you can enjoy your home canned peaches!  Mmmmmm!  We love ours cold in a bowl with the syrup and whipping cream poured over them.  What a treat.

Giant Stuffed Pizza Pockets ~ Saucy Calzones

This evening I made great big Pizza Pockets for dinner.  Well, I actually always think of them as Calzones, but Calzones don't actually have sauce in them.  Personally, I would rather have my sauce in them then dipping them... but that's just me.

These also work well to make ahead of time and reheat.  They're pretty good cold to bring along for a snack, and they freeze really well.

Pizza Dough

3 1/2 - 4 Cups Flour

1 Tsp Sugar

2 Tsp Salt

1 pkg (2 1/4 Tsp) Active Yeast 

1 1/12 (110*F) Warm Water

1 Tbsp Oil

You can either do this pizza dough in your bread machine on the dough setting, in your Kitchen Aid or mix it up by hand.

In Kitchen Aid mix the dry ingredients, Flour, Sugar, Salt, and Yeast.  Turn mixer onto medium speed and slowly add water, then oil.  If dough is too sticky, add a little more flour about a table spoon at a time.  If dough is too dry add a tablespoon of water at a time.  Let it go on medium speed until it is well blended and forms a ball.  I let the machine knead it for a few minutes, then I turn it out on a floured surface and knead it for a little while longer until it forms a smooth elastic ball.  Place dough in a greased large bowl and turn it over so that the oil coats the ball of dough.  Let it rise for an hour.  Punch down dough, and cut it into 4 pieces, make it into balls and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Dough in greased bowl.

 While Dough is rising, do your stuffing prep.  It's a good time to grate or cube cheese, chop up some veggies and slice your meat.  Get your sauce all ready to go.

Your Choice Of Topping or Stuffings...  It's all up to you!

We like:

Pepperoni

Ham

Onions

Mushrooms

Green Peppers

Cheddar Cheese

Mozza Cheese's

Pizza Sauce,  or I use Campbell's Tomato with Basil and Oregano.

After the dough has risen for about an hour it should be about double in size.  ~ Here's a little tip.  When I let my dough rise, I cover it, and put it in the oven, then turn on the oven light and close the door.  The oven light will create some heat and help your dough to rise.

Punch down dough and divide into for balls.  Let them rest for 10 minutes.

Flatten out dough ball on a floured surface.  Sprinkle a little flour on top.

 Roll dough into a 10 or 11 inch circle.

Trasfer dough to parchment paper lined or greased baking sheet.

Now is the time to put on your sauce.  I love this sauce!!!

Spread the sauce in the middle leaving about an inch around the edges.

On half spread your veggies....

And your meat.

Next add your cheese.

Now pull the topping free half over the toppings.  You can stretch it a little.

Start at one end, pinching and rolling as you go.

Work your way around to the other end.

Cut in some vent holes, and brush with some oil.

This is optional.  You can sprinkle on some spices like oregano or basil and some Parmesan cheese.

I fit 2 per baking sheet.  Let them rest for 1/2 hour before baking.

Bake at 350* for half an our until nicely browned.  Remove to cooling rack and let set for a couple minutes to cool.

Careful you don't burn your mouth!  These are soooo yummy!

Chocolate Chip Bars

If you love Chocolate Chip Cookies, you can't help but love these squares.  I think they are easier to make then the cookies!  And they taste like the cookies!  Maybe even better!

Chocolate Chip Bars

2 Cups Flour

1/2 Tsp Baking Soda

1/2 Tsp Salt

1 Cup Butter

3/4 Cup Brown Sugar

3/4 Cup White Sugar

2 Large Eggs

1 1/2 Tsp Vanilla

2 Cups Chocolate Chips

Optional, 1 Cup chopped Walnuts

Blend dry ingredients in a smaller bowl.  Blend Butter, Sugars, Eggs, and Vanilla until creamy.  Blend in the dry ingredients with the creamed mixture.  Stir in Chocolate Chips and nuts.  Spread batter into a 10 X 10 inch lightly greased pan.  I use a 9 X 13 inch pan just fine.  Smooth batter with spoon.

Bake for 30 minutes for at 350* or until golden. 

I like to slightly under bake mine so that they are good and chewy!

Enjoy!

I Finally Tasted Lobster!

This morning a friend of mine who has just got back from a visit to New Brunswick brought me a special treat!

LOBSTER!

Oh yes!  All the way from across the country my friend lugged some lobster and was so wonderful as to bring me one!  I could hardly believe it.  

It was already cooked and kept cold all the way across Canada.  How cool is that?

I had to work today, so all day at work, all I could think about was this lobster waiting at home for me in the fridge.  Waiting... probably staring at the door waiting for me to open it and take it out...

Strange thing was, last night I asked Madeleine, my daughter what she wanted for supper, and she replied, "Lobster..."    "Uhhhh.... No.  Not going to happen." I thought...  Then low and behold when I talked to my friend this morning, she says "Are you going to be home?  I have a lobster for you!"  Holy Moly, who could believe it?  

So all day, I have been thinking and asking how best to eat this creature?  I had wanted to try one of those Lobster buns that I've heard about... but then I kept thinking, "Mmmmm!  Bet Lobster Fettuccine Alfredo would be delish!"   But then a few people said "Well, I heard you shouldn't have Lobster with milk".  But not one person who told me this knew why.... still sounded yummy to me.

I went down town after work and got buns, and some stuff to make Alfredo Sauce, then came home.  I got the little Lobster out and set to work getting out the meat from the claws, and the tail, putting it in a bowl.

Now, neither Madeleine or I have had Lobster, and Alisha wont even consider it.  I have had and love eating Crab.  We are close enough to the ocean to get a good feed of it every so often.  Madeleine hasn't tried Crab because I was to scared she might have an allergy like other family members.  Whenever opportunity to have Crab came up in the past we were always to far away from the hospital for me to feel comfortable testing her out on it.   Anyways, Tonight, I let Madeleine share the Lobster with me.  I figured that we were now living close enough to a hospital, there wasn't so much risk.

Anyways I picked and dug out the meatie bits.   It was different then getting all the meat out of a crab, that's for sure.  I find that Crabs have quite a bit of meat in the body part... well, on the lobster I discovered that all the meat is basically in the tail and the big claws.

By the time I had the meat in the bowl, and the garlic all pealed, I had come to the conclusion that one lobster does't quite give you enough for a few sandwiches or Fettuchini.  So I also decided that perhaps let's make it simple the first time.  

I heated the butter and garlic up in the pan until it was good, hot and sizzling then added in the lobster to quickly bring it up to heat.  Then Madeleine and I shared it.  Boy was it yummy!  I think the flavor is quite simalar to the Crab we eat here.... or maybe it's because I love crab best with garlic and butter... But the lobster has b bit more substance to it, being bigger pieces of meat and more chewier.  It was so, so good.

Madeleine was in heaven.  We really enjoyed our lobster.  I'm glad that we had the butter and garlic for our first try.  Next time we'll get a little more creative, but for now, it was just perfect!

I'm so thankful that I have such a good friend who was so thoughtful as to bring me Lobster!

Thank you Bea!