Last Saturday I canned a LOT of peaches. Even though I’ve canned before, there were a few lessons I learned that I thought I’d pass along so you don’t have to learn the hard way.
- Blanche your peaches first. It will make peeling them so much easier! Even if you don’t have any extra pots, figure out a way.
- Canning will take much longer than you think it will. Trust me.
- Turkey fryer burners are great for if you have a smooth top stove. They heat up super fast and maintain a good boil.
- The aluminum pots that come with the turkey fryer are great for an extra pot for sanitizing jars.
- Aforementioned turkey fryer pot may be too deep for the magnetic lid lifter to reach, so simply attach a string to it and go fishing!
- Leather gloves are awesome for working with the rack of hot jars.
- It helps if your husband is brewing beer at the same time in the garage so he can keep an eye on the boiling water bath while you are back in the house peeling more peaches.
- Pandora is great to have playing in the background while you peel peaches and curse yourself for not blanching them first.
- Can’t find ascorbic acid? Simply use 5 Tbsp lemon juice to a gallon of water and slice your peaches into it. Fish them out every 10 minutes or so. This will help prevent discoloration.
- Fancy, complicated recipes always sound better when you’re planning the canning. Once you’re in the thick of things, you might find yourself abandoning them for a simple huge batch of plain old peaches.
