We realized they were all ripe at the same time the day after we picked them up from a local orchard. The following day we dove in. Thankfully, it was raining outside, so Jamey couldn't work on painting the sheds. If you remember, last year he did them all himself. Instead of being mean and making me do them all myself this year, he helped. Side by side we worked all day. It was a long day, but a very good one. Thanks, dear, for coming to my rescue again and again.
We started out by canning 71 (yes, se-ven-ty-one) 4-ounce jars of peach jam to complete my sister's wedding favors. I also made grape and strawberry earlier this year.
About two weeks ago, I decided I didn't want to mess with canning any peaches this year. I was just going to slice and freeze them. But, then we noticed how easy many of them were peeling and Jamey (I tell you, it was him!) suggested we can some. So, we started canning them, chopping up the not so nice ones for the freezer (for baked oatmeal, muffins, etc.).
Tip: Putting an old kitchen towel under your cutting board is great for catching and sopping up the juices when you are chopping things like peaches and tomatoes.
22 quarts canned and 27 2-cup bags chopped and frozenThen, Jamey asked for a pie.
Peach Pie (my mom's recipe)
This pie is best if it's made ahead of time and allowed to cool. If served right out of the oven, it will taste amazing, but will be extremely juicy and the slices won't come out intact. Be patient- it's worth it if you're serving it to guests. If you're like us, you can't wait and will eat it anyway.
1 pie crust
enough ripe, peeled and sliced peaches to fill the pie crust heaping full
1 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp. softened butter
Fill the pie crust with peeled and sliced peaches. They will bake down, so pile them high. In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar and butter using a fork to make crumbs. Sprinkle the crumbs over the peaches- be generous. (If you can fit fit them all on, store them in a container in your fridge and use them next time.) Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes, then decrease the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes or until the crumbs are lightly browned and the peaches are soft.
Peaches. All in one day. Phew.
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The pie looks and sounds sooooo delicious but if I piled a crust that full with peaches it would bake all over the oven and I would loose a lot of the sweetness to an ugly mess on the oven floor. How do you avoid that scenario.
ReplyDeleteAunt V
Aunt V, Somehow mine don't bake over. I am always fearful of this, though, so I usually set my pies on a cookie sheet to bake. Another idea may be to slice your peaches a bit ahead of time and then drain off some of the juice before putting them into the pie crust. If anything bubbles over, it would certainly be the juice. Let me know how it goes if you try it:-).
ReplyDeletewow. i get tired just reading about everything you do. you are amazing.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your canned peaches...they look lovely :)
ReplyDeleteI'm just finishing peaches here myself! I made peach jam and canned peaches, but all the ones I had saved for cobbler ended up being eaten by the horde. :-)
ReplyDeleteAnd on that note, there's a note for you on my blog.
This year, this one is on my list! FOR SURE!
ReplyDeleteI'm a working mother who takes one day a week off with my children during the summer - However, during that day off, I engage them in many things my parents had us doing... There's time for swimming, playing and canning in my house... Bless your heart for pouring into us the wholesomeness of yesteryear - Recipe for the canned peaches? step by step perhaps? THANKS!