Canned Peach Pie Filling

Here we are in a drought, and I'm going through water by canning.  I need a smaller canner that's still deep enough to do pints.  They do make them.  I'm trying to use both the canning and blanching water on plants, but I have to wait for it to cool.  There's a bucket in the garage that comes in handy.

When peaches were 99¢ per pound, I bought enough for peach butter and pie filling.  Not a ton of either.  If I need to buy more jars, I'm canning too much.  And when it comes down to it, this pie filling is in wide-mouth jars because I'm out of the regular mouth pints.  Shouldn't have canned the kimchi in regulars.

No offense to Ball, but their version of peach filling was all kinds of complicated and includes raisins for some reason.  I get that they're trying to be interesting for people who have been canning since the Pioneer days.  I haven't, and wanted something basic that could be combined with other flavors.  The recipe on the National Center for Home Food Preservation filled that need.  It also broke down the quantities into either by the quart or the canner-full.  I planned to make two pints (one quart), so I just followed the quantities in that column.

It appears that I suck at knowing which peaches are ripe.  I'm expert at bananas, but rarely buy fresh peaches.  Sweetness doesn't really matter when you're putting in a ton of sugar, but the ripe ones are easier to peel and seed.  I had a total of one that was easy.  The other four were a pain in the butt.  And then I came up one peach short of two pints and had to get creative with stray jars lying around.  If headspace wasn't part of the canning equation, I could have just done the pint and a half with minimal headspace and been fine.  But with canning, that would have exploded all over the pot and turned into peach soup.  Going the other way, two pints with 2" of headspace each might not have been safe.  Just follow the recipe.

3-1/2 C sliced peaches (about 6)
1 C sugar
1/4 C + 1 Tb Clearjel
3/4 C water
1/8 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1/4 C bottled lemon juice

1.  To peel the peaches, dunk in boiling water for 30-60 seconds.  Theoretically, the peels slip right off.  If they don't, get out the vegetable peeler.  This could take a while, so go ahead and start your canner, lids, and jars for a 2 pint yield.

2.  Once you've finally peeled the peaches, set up a bowl of acidulated water.  The juice of one lemon should be enough for 4 cups of water.  Pit the peaches and slice wedges 1/2" thick.  Again, way easier if the peach was ripe enough to peel the skin off of in the first place.

3.  Good news, it's easy from here on out.  Blanch peach slices in a large pot of boiling water for about one minute.  This isn't just to par-cook them and get them soft.  The water forces out some of the air that can cause a problem in canning.  Drain slices and keep warm until needed.

4.  In a clean pot, combine sugar, Clearjel, and cinnamon.  Add water.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.  I'm kind of addicted to the moment the Clearjel does its thing.  It's so cool to be able to create pie goo.  I think I've been on a quest to do it my whole life, without knowing.

5.  Add the lemon juice and return the gel to a boil for one minute.  Remove from heat and fold in peaches until coated and warmed.  Be gentle, they are soft from the blanching.

6.  Fill jars with hot peach mixture.  Wipe goo off the rims.  Center lids, screw on bands finger-tight, and process in canner for 30 minutes.  Turn off heat, remove lid, and let the jars sit in the canner for 5 minutes to reduce the chance of siphoning.  Cool, test seals, wash, and store.

Makes 2 pints, for one pie

Difficulty rating  :-0