Peaches

About this time each year I start thinking about the sweet, juicy peaches that will be coming soon. I used to can quarts and quarts of them and they were good, but some of my favorite things to can were Peach Jam and Frozen peaches. If you already do these things you probably already have your own recipe. If not here are a couple you can try.

The thing I love about frozen peaches are they are so versatile. When my family was younger and my kids often took homemade lunches to school and husband packed a lunch to work each day, I loved to freeze these peaches in empty baby food bottles, then I could take one directly from the freezer to the lunch box and by noon it was just right to eat. Now, there are so many handy small freezer containers it is easy to do. I also freeze them in bigger containers for toppings for waffles, ice cream or for peach cobbler. Ziploc bags also work but are messy to transport.

If you are planning to can peaches this year, try a few frozen. They are so good. Think how good these would be in a smoothie!!!


FROZEN PEACHES
Put peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds then into cold water. Peel and remove pit. Slice into solution of 1 quart water, 3 c. sugar and 4 t. fruit fresh, (1 t. per cup of water). Pack fruit into bottles or Ziploc bags. Fill with syrup (juice they were sliced into), to within ½” of top of jars. Freeze. These are good frozen in baby food jars and packed in lunches, or to use as ice cream topping or for peach pie or cobbler.

PEACH JAM
15 c. peaches, crushed
15 c. sugar
5 packages orange jell-o
Boil peaches and sugar 10-15 minutes. Add jell-o. Stir until completely dissolved. Bottle and seal or freeze. This recipe can easily be cut down to make a smaller batch.