How to Can Peaches & Make Peach Jelly

It’s time for peaches! Last weekend we drove over to a local Amish produce market and I bought a half bushel box of fresh Georgia peaches. We ate a bunch of fresh peaches, but I wanted to can as many as possible so we can enjoy them all winter long! There’s just nothing like the taste of fresh produce that you preserve yourself. I canned fresh peach slices and of course, I made peach jelly!

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Materials Needed:

Fresh Peaches
Sharp knife
Water Bath Canner
Mason Jars & Lids
Sugar
Salt/Vinegar (optional)
Canning Tongs
Canning Funnel (optional)

How to Can Peaches

Select fresh, firm peaches
Peel and cut into small slices. (You can boil them for a few minutes and then dip in ice water to loosen the skin or peel them with a sharp knife after rinsing them off).

Cut around the peach pit.
Since it takes a while to peel the peaches, you may want to let the fresh-cut peaches soak in a large bowl with 2 TBS salt and 2 TBS vinegar. This soak should keep the fresh fruit from turning brown. As soon as you are done peeling the peaches, rinse the cut peaches with fresh water so the salt and vinegar don’t linger.
Boil the cut peaches in a large pot of water for several minutes (optional: add a cup of sugar if you want a sweeter syrup) Read more details about how much sugar you should add to make the best syrup.
Pack into jars and process in a hot water canner for 10 minutes (longer for quart size jars)

How to Make Peach Jelly

Since I don’t like having any part of the fruit go to waste, I took the peelings from the peaches and boiled them down for peach jelly. Once I had a full pot of peach syrup, I added the sugar and pectin to create peach jelly.

Full recipe that I followed is here

Things to Know

Some people have great success with powdered pectin, but I typically prefer liquid pectin for jelly.
Wash the jars thoroughly with hot water before you fill them with hot syrup or fruit and put them in the hot water canner.
Peaches can be canned in a hot water canner and do not require a pressure canner.
Label the finished jellies and fruit with the name and date so you don’t lose track of what you are storing for winter.
Listen for the pop of the lids as they cool to ensure that each jar has properly sealed.

What fresh fruits and vegetables are you canning for winter? I’d love to hear your favorite tips!