Also Once apon a time I saw discussion here of canning a strawberry lemonade concentrate here... can somone post that recipe for me? Could I sub peaches(and soon maybe watermelon?) ?

Recipes for preserving or recipes for fresh eating?

For fresh eating type recipes I'd go over to the many cooking forums and search 'peaches' - tons of recipes come up.

For preserving, plain old canned peaches in light syrup can't be beat IMO and its easy and fast to do. Then you can use them later for smoothies, added yogurt, in pies, cobblers, tarts, turnovers, etc. Peach jam by the bucket loads also has hundreds of uses later in cakes, cookies, candy. There is also a great peach-habanero jam/jelly recipe here that gets rave revies.

But then we are big believers in our house of preserving things in their basic form for unlimited use later rather than trying to turn them into something out-of-the-ordinary up front and preserving that. When confronted with massive amounts of anything, the simplest approach is usually the fastest and the easiest. ;)

Dave

Peach Pie Filling using clear gel.

I have an abundance of pears right now and used the apple pie filling recipe for my pears and it is absolutely wonderful. I believe my recipe came from the Ball Complete book and one of the variations is for peach pie filling.

So simple and so good.

Be warned...the recipe is for processing in pints, but a pint is NOT big enough for a pie! One of the extension agencies has a handout on the pie fillings and the recipe is identical (if I remember correctly) to the Ball recipe, but it is for quarts, and there is mention that the processing time is the same for pints or quarts. FYI.

This was the first time I had ever used clear gel and it was easy to work with. The texture and consistency using the clear gel was perfect for pie filling. No discernable taste to it, either.

I made my first pie with it this afternoon to determine whether I wanted to make more batches, and absolutely Yes, I do! I plan on making more of the pie filling today or tomorrow, this time in quarts.

Jill

preserving preferably.
Im doing a bunch just simply sliced in syrup. but also want some other ideas also.

Peach Jam in the middle of February is out of this world delicious.

Peach syrup for smoothies or topping pancakes/crepes: http://www.food.com/recipe/vanilla-peach-syrup-72157.

And, my lifetime favorite: Fresh Peach Ice Cream! You can freeze it for 3 months if you make a lot of it.

Nancy

The grocery stores in this area are SUPPOSED to carry and sell local peaches. I bought four that were gorgeous to the eye but rock hard to see if they'd soften and ripen. Is this a futile hope?

(If they will, I'll buy more and freeze them for winter eating. Otherwise I'll need another supply of riper peaches! It isn't always easy to find local peaches, even here in Georgia.)

Here are the strawberry and the raspberry lemonade recipes. No reason which you couldn't use the peaches for it.

There is also Peach-Mango Chutney, Peach and Apple Conserves, Peach Salsa, Pickled Peaches, and if you have any other fruits - fruit cocktail with peaches.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Lemonade recipes

This one is from the National Honey Board and well-worth trying if you want something a bit more "interesting" than plain canned peaches but still versatile.

Honey Packed Peaches
- Makes 6 pints -
Ingredients
 2-3/4 cups water, divided
 1/4 cup lemon juice
 5 lbs. peaches*, peeled, pitted and cut into wedges
 1-1/4 cups honey
 2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
 6 small strips lemon zest

Directions
In a large bowl, mix 1/4 cup water and lemon juice. Stir fruit in gently, coating all pieces. Set aside. In a small saucepan, bring honey and remaining water to a boil. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Cover pan to keep contents hot. Pack fruit gently into 6 hot sterilized pint jars, filling to 1/4 inch from top of jar, and place a piece of lemon zest in each jar. Fill jars with honey mixture up to 1/4 inch from tops. Wipe rims of jars; top with lids. Screw on bands. Place jars on rack in canning kettle of hot water, adding water if necessary to bring water level to 1 inch above tops of jars. Bring water to a rolling boil; boil for 25 minutes. Remove jars carefully and cool on a wire rack.

*Apricots or nectarines may be substituted.

Tips
Every honey variety has its own unique color and taste. There are approximately 300 varieties of honey in the United States - with flavors that range from delicately sweet to richly bold. In general, the lighter the color of honey, the milder the flavor. Try a light honey such as Clover or Orange Blossom in Honey Packed Peaches and Honey-Lemon Jelly. Experiment with a more robustly flavored honey such as wildflower or avocado when making Strawberry Jam or any of your favorite recipes.

The NCHFP has a Peach Fruit Topping recipe which basically calls for crushed peaches canned with sugar. Good for layering with yogurt or topping ice cream and a great recipe for less-than-perfect specimens.

The NCHFP also has a nice Peach Pie Filling with cinnamon and almond extract (optional). You might consider halving the amount of ClearJel. I know Linda_Lou will back me up on this. For some reason the amount of ClearJel called for in the pie filling recipes is way over the top and to most tastes results in a very thick filling that tends to ooze out from under the lid during canning. Plus it's a waste of an expensive product.

Peaches are low in pectin and will tend not to set unless the preserve has commercial pectin or other high pectin ingredients, so I'm not surprised your peach honey is loose. You'd probably have to overcook it to get it quite thick.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: National Honey Board Honey Packed Peaches

I do agree with cutting down the Clear Jel. It winds up being a gluey mess in my opinion if you use the amount called for.

That's good info on the clear jel. Thanks. That was the first time I'd used it. I thought maybe I'd cooked it a bit too long for it to be that thick, but the taste of the pie filling was perfect and the thickness and texture after processing looked what I expected. Nice to know I cut back on it.

Can the clear jel be added to the fruit honey? My pear honey stayed really thin, too.

Pears are also low in pectin. Neither fruit is a reliable setter without commercial pectin. There are ways to achieve a thicker product but "au naturel" it will always be less thick than a higher-pectin product.

Do you mean adding ClearJel after the jar is opened? Yes. There are also jam recipes designed for ClearJel, but not many and it's mainly play-it-by-ear.

I suppose you could add ClearJel to a peach honey and then can it like Pie Filling. It would need a longer processing time than a conventional jam.

Carol

According to the website, Pomona Pectin can also be used as an alternative to Clear Jel in fruit honey. Pomona has a discussion about it on their FAQs page.

Dave

Carol, thanks! I didn't mean to hijack the question about peaches. I don't have the instant clear jel. I have the regular clear jel that is cooked and processed in the pie filling recipe. My pear honey was cooked and processed also, but was runny. I was asking if clear jel could be safely added to that recipe. Your comment about pears being low in pectin helps me because I am new at this and learning every day!

I think everyone would agree we're pretty flexible about hijacking as long as it relates to canning.

The advantage of starting a new thread, of course, is that people are more likely to spot it, especially in a search. We all know how flawed this search engine is.

For clarification, then, yes, you could use regular ClearJel in the original recipe and can it like Pie Filling. You'll just have to fiddle to come up with an amount that gets you to the preferred texture.

I've made a lot of preserves and our family made pear honey for years, but invariably to get it any thickness at all you have to cook it a long time. Then, normally, you end up losing the freshness of flavor and the color has darkened considerably.

Carol

To find good fresh ripe peaches in Georgia, NC, SC, (or most anywhere else they grow) check out your local farmers markets. Little farms may only have a few peach trees but local and freshly picked beats anything in a grocery store, and you would support your local farmers and your immediate economic base. I found a farmer with 10 different varieties of trees so I can get fresh peaches from June through September because of their ripening at different times.

To find a farmer's market near you: localharvest.org or pickyourown.com

Nancy