Southern Kitchen – Georgia Peach Honey Preserves

As we’ve noted before, ’tis the season for the farmer’s market.  It just feels right to get up Saturday morning and go buy fresh fruits and veggies from real people.  Problem is, sometimes I get carried away and buy a bit too much.  The tomatoes/peaches/cucumbers/etc are just too good to pass up when in season, and there’s only twenty one meals in a week.  The question naturally presents itself…..What am I gonna do with the twenty {insert produce here} I just came home with?   Answer- Invite a bunch of Hungry Southerner’s over to your house for a party…….or…..do a bit of canning, pickling, and preserving.

Honestly, I’ve never done any canning or preserving in my life.  My grandmother did, and I enjoyed my fair share of her work over the years.  But it always seemed like a lot of work to me, so I really never gave it a thought.  Lucky for me, my wife decided this summer would be a perfect time for her (us) to learn to do it.  She read up on techniques, bought the necessary tools (jars), and found an easy starter recipe for Sweet Georgia Peach Honey, courtesy of Paula Deen.  Off we went to the farmers market, as visions of peaches danced in our heads. In our minds, we knew this was going to be so much fun, we’re such good cooks, and we get to enjoy the summertime peachs well into the winter. Ignorance is bliss.

Flash foward to that evening.  We stand in in our kitchen, filling jars with peach goo in silence, fearful that one cross word or action may lead to our first big fight.  The process of making the preserves had taken a toll on us, and it had taken up the better part of the afternoon and evening.  We were tired, grumpy, and more than a little ready to be done.  My suspicions had been true, this was a lot of work.  As we cleaned up, I “tested” a bit of the cooled mixture left in the bottom of the pot.  So worth the effort.  Whatever difficulties we had in making the peach honey faded in comparison to the pleasure those little jars would bring in the coming months.

I say all that to say this:  Canning/Preserving/Pickling isn’t necessarily quick and painless, but it does get easier once you know what your doing.  The fruits of your labor will far outweigh any difficulties you may have in learning to do it, and they’ll keep for a long time in your cupboard as well.  Over the next few weeks, we’ll be bringing you a collection of easy starter recipes for those of you that dare to give some form of preserving a shot.  It’ll be fun.

Ben O.

Georgia Peach Honey Preserves

• 1 unpeeled orange, quartered and seeded
• 1 unpeeled lemon, quartered and seeded
• 12 cups unpeeled fresh peaches, pitted and chopped (approx 20 peaches)
• 8 cups sugar
• 6 pint-size canning jars, lids, and bands

In a food processor, blend orange and lemons until smooth. Add peaches in batches, pulsing continuously till smooth.  In a large Dutch oven, bring the peach mixture and sugar to a boil over med-high heat.  Stir constantly to prevent scorching. Reduce heat to med and cook for 1-2 hours, until mixture has a texture similar to honey.  Sterilize jars, bands, and lids by immersing in simmering (not boiling) water for 10 minutes.  Remove one at a time to fill.  Fill with hot peach mixture up to 1/4″ from the top.  Wipe rim clean with a damp cloth and seal with lid and band.  Process jars upside down in boiling water for 10 minutes, remove, and cool inverted overnight.