Confessions of a Reluctant Canner–Pretty in Peach

And then it happened… In a flashback, I recalled the drizzly days of winter wallowing: Being cold and hungry in hibernation—a diet of root vegetables—stabilized, but missing the glamour of summer. Last winter I promised myself I would preserve the bounty of summer for gluttonous winter enjoyment. My sad, gluten free, vegan, whole grain pancakes of winter pleaded for peach compote with a whisper of lime and the lingering pizzazz of ginger. But how could I hand that over to my over-wintering self? My summer self growing guilty and impatient, as my winter self pleaded with hollow eyes of a low nutrient winter diet missing the canned and pickled yesteryear staples. So, to make the long multiple personality conversation short…the sickly, whiney, winter, self-absorbed self triumphed at last!

I continued cooking the peach pie filling, turned compote on the stove, as it softened with flavors, becoming more pronounced with aromas echoing throughout the house; permeating my being. Into jars, the compote slinked; taking with it my visions of summer voraciousness. My mouth watered, as I poured every last drop into those hungry jars. The aromas dwindling and leaving me full of lingering memories of playful, ginger-lime, peachy compote.

Will the compote make it to winter? Will my winter self be satiated? Would I have my housemates hide the jars to prevent my greedy summer self lathered in bounty from absconding with my winter treasure? Would they contain themselves? Could you contain yourself?

I turned to another peach canning masterpiece in hopes that a new project would take my edacious mind off the old…peach butter bliss. The recipes for both follow.

Ginger Lime Peach Pie Filling Turned Compote Recipe:

~1 TB of high heat vegetable oil (I like sunflower oil)
~7 Cups (or whatever you have) of sliced pitted peaches (what I used was overly ripe so they emitted a lot of liquid and softened extremely fast)
~½ Cup of sweetener (e.g. maple syrup, agave, honey, fruit juice, etc.)
~2 inches of fresh ginger root
~1 TB of dried ginger
~½ TB of cinnamon
~1 tsp of sea salt
~2 TB (or more depending on juiciness of peaches) of ~arrowroot powder
~zest of 1 lime
~juice of 1 lime

1. Sauté peaches in oil for a couple minutes. Add dried ginger, cinnamon and lime zest, sauté for another minute. Add fresh ginger, lime juice and sea salt and cook until juicy with lid on, stirring occasionally (20 minutes or so depending on the ripeness of the peaches).
2. Meanwhile, prepare canner, jars, and lids.
3. Ladle hot compote into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip tight.
4. Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 35 minutes (for pint jars) or 40 minutes (for quart jars). Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool and store.

What was left, not quite filling another jar, I used to make a pie—mixing it with barely cooked apples from a tree in our yard. This deliciously satiated my summer gluttonous self!

Peach Butter Bliss Recipe:

~8 cups or so of peeled and sliced peaches
~1-1.5 cups of sweetener (agave, honey, maple syrup, fruit juice, etc.)
~zest of 1 lemon
~juice of 1 lemon
~¼ tsp of GF almond extract (optional)
~½ tsp of nutmeg
~½ cup of GF liqueur or white wine (optional)
~¼ tsp of sea salt

1. Drop peaches into boiling water for 30-60 seconds until the skin cracks and then drop into cold water. Skins should peel off easily.
2. Place peaches, ½ cup of sweetener, lemon zest and juice, nutmeg, and sea salt in a pot. Stir to combine. You can cover and leave the flavors to meld for several hours or proceed immediately. If letting it sit, add almond extract.
3. Place the pan over high heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or so.
4. Pour the contents in batches into a food processor and puree. Pour the puree into a shallow roasting pan or cake pan and place in a preheated 225 degree oven. Stir every 20-30 minutes or more for 2 to 3 hours. As the puree thickens, it will stick to the edges of the pan, so make sure to regularly stir thoroughly. It is done when it has thickened, sticks to a spoon, and has turned a dark amber color.
5. If using, add alcohol and hazelnut extract (if not already added) and bake briefly, until back to the proper consistency (5 minutes or so).
6. Remove from the oven and ladle hot peach butter into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip tight.
7. Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 30 minutes (for ½ pint jars) or 35 minutes (for pint jars). Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool and store.

What was left, not quite filling a jar, quickly disappeared. The creamy deliciousness of peach butter is too enticing to let it sit while devising a scheme for how to use it best.

For complete hot water bath canning directions go to CSU Extension’s website.

If you are interested in learning to cook without recipes and honing your creativity in the kitchen, please join me in Denver for one or more of my cooking classes.