How to Make Orchard Peach Preserves

Peach preserves are absolutely delicious, and a lot easier to make than you would think. This is great for a bake sale or even a house warming gift.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 4 cups pitted and quartered peaches
• 3 1/2 cups sugar or Splenda
• 4 8oz jars with lids, sterilized
• tape
• sponge brush
• enamel or craft paint for glass

1. To peel the peaches, cut an "X" into the bottom half of each peach and drop into a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds. Transfer the peaches to a bowl of ice water to cool. Remove the skin; pit them, and cut in quarters.

2. To decorate the jars, buy a stencil or design your own. Tape it to the jar. Very carefully, keeping the brush perpendicular to the jar's surface, fill in the exposed area of the stencil, working from the outside edges in using enamel or craft paint for glass. Repeat with the remaining jars. Or, if you'd like, paint somthing freehand.

3. Let the paint dry. Remove the stencil, taking care not to smudge the design.

4. To make the preserves, in a large saucepan or Dutch oven, combine the peaches with the sugar. Let the mixture stand for 1 hour 30 minutes.

5. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring, over high heat.

6. Reduce heat to low; simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, until a teaspoon of the mixture gels on a gold plate, about 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes.

7. Using a spoon, skim off any foam from the preserves, if necessary. Remove from heat; let stand for 1 hour. Ladle the preserves into jars, filling to within 1/4" of the rims.

8. Clean the rims well with a clean dampened cloth. Seal the jars with the lids and place on a dish towel to cool completely. Store sealed preserves in the refrigerator.

Tips & Warnings

• For a jar topper, stencil a design onto a round of fabric or paper. Place it over the lid and tie with a ribbon.
• Fill classic old-fashioned canning jars with the preserves instead of using slope-shouldered jars.
• Make some homemade buttermilk biscuits and serve with freshly made preserves for a sweet breakfast treat.
• To remove the pit from the peach, cut the fruit from stem to stem all the way down to the pit. Twist the halves in opposite directions and lift out the pit.
• Two basic varieties of peaches are Freestone and Clingstone. Freestone pits can be easily removed from the flesh, making this type of peach the perfect choice for preserves.
• Peaches tend to bruise easily, so check them thoroughly before buying.
• To maintain freshness, store these preserves in the refrigerator - not in a cupboard.

[amylaine]

on 7/30/2008 sounds great