Peachy Keen

I canned peaches today, my inaugural canning experience. Loads of fun and not at all difficult, it's just that there are a few rules to pay attention to. The first thing to know is that Colorado peaches are divine. I'm not sure why people in Georgia are all ga ga over their peaches, because there is no way on god's green earth they're better than these mountain beauties. The line for them at the farmer's market is always 15 or 20 people deep, and every week I'm in it buying my fix.

A neighbor told me she cans a bunch each season and they make winter more bearable. I'd been wanting to learn to can; I asked if she'd show me how, and of course she said yes. So, a couple of neighbors, a couple of boxes of peaches, and a couple of hours later, I'm practically an expert. Well, close enough that I'll try it on my own next time.

First we sterilized the jars.

Then we washed, halved, and peeled the peaches (that order worked best).

Then we put them in jars and covered them with honey water.

Then we sealed them in their Ball jars after heating the rings and wiping the top of the glass to ensure a good seal. (Ball, by the way, is a Boulder company. Not sure if it's based here or just has an enormous campus here, but it's local.)



Then we put them in a water bath for 40 minutes. That's longer than we'd do at sea level; gotta account for altitude.

Then we labeled, and now they're cooling. Tomorrow we'll check the seals and place them in a cool spot until sometime this winter when we need a burst of sunshine and a peach melba.

Next, I think I'll try canning whole tomatoes and salsa (apparently you have to use specific recipes safe for canning so the pH is right). Also, I'm going to try pickling, and that's not truly canning, at least not at first (turns out you brine them and they hang around in the brine for a while, and if you want to can them you can do so after six weeks or so of the brine bath). Not that I had fun or thought it was cool or anything.