Trying to can peaches

[koshergrl]

ARRRRGGG...so I buy some peaches, I get all the stuff ready. I pop the peaches into boiling water like you're supposed to, 30-60 seconds, then into cold water. The skins are supposed to slip off, but they didn't. Undaunted, I peel a couple..and I can't get the things off the fucking pit. I'm supposed to halve and pit them, there's no halving, no pitting because they are cemented to the pits. I'm exerting all my strength trying to get the fucking piece of shit bastard peaches off the goddamn pits and all I can do is get slimy chunks...not halves..and half the peach is still stuck to the pit.

What the screaming hell is with selling peaches that are inedible to eat, hard as rock, but also impossible to can? They're worthless. I wasted the money I spent on them because they aren't good for anything, plus I made simple syrup (a quart of sugar) wasted.

Crap crap crap crap crap I hate it when something that takes so much planning falls to shit.

 

[freedombecki]

Koshrgrl, buy or raise your own freestone peaches. You won't be upset when you are in front of a bowl of delicious, easy-to-pit freestones.

 

[Peach]

ARRRRGGG...so I buy some peaches, I get all the stuff ready. I pop the peaches into boiling water like you're supposed to, 30-60 seconds, then into cold water. The skins are supposed to slip off, but they didn't. Undaunted, I peel a couple..and I can't get the things off the fucking pit. I'm supposed to halve and pit them, there's no halving, no pitting because they are cemented to the pits. I'm exerting all my strength trying to get the fucking piece of shit bastard peaches off the goddamn pits and all I can do is get slimy chunks...not halves..and half the peach is still stuck to the pit.

What the screaming hell is with selling peaches that are inedible to eat, hard as rock, but also impossible to can? They're worthless. I wasted the money I spent on them because they aren't good for anything, plus I made simple syrup (a quart of sugar) wasted.

Crap crap crap crap crap I hate it when something that takes so much planning falls to shit.

Bing cherries pose the same difficulties; delicious, but with 'pit' falls.

 

[koshergrl]

About 8 hours of work and I ended up with 4 pints of lovely peach jam.

Why would anyone sell non-freestone peaches? I just assumed all peaches are freestone....

But the peaches didn't go to waste (though the sugar that I used for the syrup did) and in fact I got a few more so I had enough for the recipe I used. It tastes really good, kinda tart cuz I was liberal with fruit fresh (maybe not so much next time) but very, very peach-y.

 

[Immanuel]

About 8 hours of work and I ended up with 4 pints of lovely peach jam.

Why would anyone sell non-freestone peaches? I just assumed all peaches are freestone....

But the peaches didn't go to waste (though the sugar that I used for the syrup did) and in fact I got a few more so I had enough for the recipe I used. It tastes really good, kinda tart cuz I was liberal with fruit fresh (maybe not so much next time) but very, very peach-y.

Why go to all that trouble? I hear Aunt Jemima makes some darned good syrup! And Walmart carries it too, at least I think Walmart does. /ducks

Immie

 

[koshergrl]

I couldn't let the peaches win.

Bastard peaches:

 

[koshergrl]

Tomorrow it's green beans and a pressure cooker.

Everybody here is canning tuna right now but I don't think I'm ready for fish yet.

 

[hjmick]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvAnQqVJ3XQ]Peaches - The Presidents of the United States of America - YouTube[/ame]

 

[koshergrl]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhwNtd8z3Xk]Green Beans Song! - YouTube[/ame]

 

[freedombecki]

About 8 hours of work and I ended up with 4 pints of lovely peach jam.

Why would anyone sell non-freestone peaches? I just assumed all peaches are freestone....

But the peaches didn't go to waste (though the sugar that I used for the syrup did) and in fact I got a few more so I had enough for the recipe I used. It tastes really good, kinda tart cuz I was liberal with fruit fresh (maybe not so much next time) but very, very peach-y.

Why go to all that trouble? I hear Aunt Jemima makes some darned good syrup! And Walmart carries it too, at least I think Walmart does. /ducks

Immie

Too many additives.

I have a hunch Koshergrls' jam is the real thing, Immie, and you know how the song goes:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svAs-6MiqxE"]AIN'T NOTHING LIKE THE REAL THING - YouTube[/ame]
​

 

[California Girl]

My bad. I thought you were trying to can peaches... the poster. I thought 'that's a tad harsh'. I'm embarrassed now. LOL

 

[freedombecki]

I couldn't let the peaches win.

Bastard peaches:

That does it! I'm going to koshergrl's house soon!

 

[Douger]

It aint worth it unless you expect The Brown Dwarf on 122112.
Get freestones and freeze the damn things. I use mangoes instead since the peaches here suck. Hayden and Tommy Adkins are the best mangoes to freeze.

 

[Ernie S.]

The forum is called food and wine, not food and whine.

 

[koshergrl]

I think the secret is to get stuff when it's dirt cheap. I don't know, I just never have done it..I have memories of helping my mom can peaches, apricots, and making tomato marmalade and thought, hey, I can do that. Her peaches were the best thing I've ever eaten in my life, and I thought it was pretty simple. I also thought 'freestone' was the name of some farmer, lol.

Oranges are cheap right now, so I'm going to make some marmalade as well as beans. I also intend to give this stuff as gifts. I never give gifts at Christmas because I don't have money to buy crap for everybody (except my immediate family) But if I have canned jam and marmalade on hand, I can hand that stuff out.

I'm going to can zucchini when it gets cheap, too.

 

[koshergrl]

Whoops, I guess I'm not. I guess the USDA has warned ppl off of canning squash. Go figure.

 

[freedombecki]

It aint worth it unless you expect The Brown Dwarf on 122112.
Get freestones and freeze the damn things. I use mangoes instead since the peaches here suck. Hayden and Tommy Adkins are the best mangoes to freeze.

^^^^NEGGED!!!!^^^^^ for not knowing how good peaches are in that left coastal state.

 

[freedombecki]

I think the secret is to get stuff when it's dirt cheap. I don't know, I just never have done it..I have memories of helping my mom can peaches, apricots, and making tomato marmalade and thought, hey, I can do that. Her peaches were the best thing I've ever eaten in my life, and I thought it was pretty simple. I also thought 'freestone' was the name of some farmer, lol.

Oranges are cheap right now, so I'm going to make some marmalade as well as beans. I also intend to give this stuff as gifts. I never give gifts at Christmas because I don't have money to buy crap for everybody (except my immediate family) But if I have canned jam and marmalade on hand, I can hand that stuff out.

I'm going to can zucchini when it gets cheap, too.

Hope you are following canning instruction manual on beans. My microbiology class at Oregon State University was conducted by a former State inspector who had the sad task of visiting a picnic ground where over 20 members of a family lay dead from botulism poisoning due to green beans tainting from improper sterile technique style home canning. I know you'd never do that, though, koshergrl. You're well-educated of that I am certain.

Why is it we recall the horrific 30 years later?

 

[koshergrl]

Yes I've got the ball canning guide book...plus I won't serve them without cooking them for 20 minutes. My dad also knew a family that died of poisoning that way. My mom used to make us boil everything that came out of a can for 20 minutes, including commercial canned stuff. I grew up on uniformly drab, soft and very salty veggies, lol. But we never got sick, at least not from our food....

 

[koshergrl]

Canned 7 pints of green beans...6 made it, one didn't seal so we had those for dinner...

They're roughly $20 a pint at this point. My cousin is going to give me a recipe for canned meatloaf, though. I'm all excited!