Today's Recipe: Peach Preserves

Our local Shaw's supermarket is having a special offer on peaches today, $0.77/per pound so I decided to make my favorite toast topping, Peach Preserves. The method and recipe follow. It's really easy and your family will really love it.

As always, assemble your ingredients. Mise en place...

Remove the stones and chop your peaches. No need to remove the skins

Mash 1 cup of the peaches in the bottom of the pan and add the rest of the peaches

Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often until the peaches are liquidy and boiling

To help this along, I used my immersion blender to puree some of the fruit. Not all, mind you, as we like some peach chunks in our preserves. 

Measure out 6 cups of peaches and return to the pot. You should have just 6 cups or just a tiny bit more. 

Add the sugar and bring to a boil over medium heat stirring often. The mixture should return to the boil immediately after you stir it. Remember. It should boil!

This recipe calls for 2 ounces of dry pectin. SureJell pectin comes in 1.75 oz boxes, so make sure to get two boxes and weigh the pectin carefully. 

Stir in the pectin gradually, bring back to a full boil and boil for 1 minute exactly. Remove from heat and pour into sterilized jars. Put sterilized lids on them and process in a water bath for 10 minutes

When they come out dry off the lids, place on a rack or towel and cover with a clean towel to keep away drafts. As they cool you should hear a "pop" sound indicating that the seal is made. If the lid does not pop, the seal is not made and you must use the preserves within 3 weeks while storing them in the fridge. 

Some lucky folks are going to get something delicious!

Make sure you have a nice piece of toast and a cup of coffee to try out your preserves. Yum! This recipe is not too sweet so it's a great topping for toast or biscuits, or even a spoonful or two on ice cream!