In the first blog entry, I wanted to share some flower beauty with people. In this one, I would like to begin dialoguing with people and exchanging information. I suspect many of Capper’s Farmer’s readers are well versed in many areas of growing and living life, and I hope I will be able to share some things that may benefit others as well as learn from you. I also have a correction to make. In the first blog, it appears as though I wrote that the Yukon was part of Alaska! Actually it is the Yukon Territory of Canada which sits right next to Alaska. Guess I was tired. My apologies to all the fine folks we met in the Yukon!
It’s peach season here in Pennsylvania, and I would really appreciate your help on some issues. Our peach tree has bravely started a nice crop of peaches the last two years, all of which have failed to mature and have fallen off. I am adding a picture of the tree which we planted a few years ago. Should I prune it? Use organic fertilizer on it? Something else for next season? I would appreciate some suggestions. I suspect there are a lot of Capper’s Farmer readers who have a lot more experience in peach growing than I have.
Peach Tree
To that end, I needed to go to one of our local farm markets again this year and pick up some peaches to can into sauce. This year I picked up a half bushel of “Johnboy,” which since I do not add sugar to my peach sauce, will need some cinnamon, as they seem a bit on the bitter side. Does anyone have a suggestion as to a good variety to can with without using sugar? I prefer yellow to white peaches.
An interesting side note, for the first time in years in canning, a bottle failed shortly after being placed in the hot water canner. Has anyone else ever had one break during the hot water process? I did not detect any cracks in the jar before I used it.
So here are a few pictures of the peach canning process to share.
Whole Peaches
Peaches Cooking
After washing and cutting your peaches, cook them down like you do applesauce. No need to peel them. Use your food mill to easily strip the peels off.
Food Mill
Can them 20 minutes from boiling point, in your hot water canner like you do applesauce. A good basic resource is the Ball Blue Book Guide to Home Canning, Freezing and Dehydration. When done, they look quite pretty.
Canned Peach Sauce
Counting the jar that broke, the half bushel of peaches made 10 pints of peach sauce. At $16.00/half bushel, that comes out a bit pricey, but it is a nice change from Applesauce come February!
Well, I hope this information is useful to someone. Please feel free to share your expertise on these matters!
