Spiced Peaches

Yield: about 6 pints

• 6 lbs Peaches (about 2 dozen medium sized peaches)
• 8 cups sugar
• 2 ¾ c cider vinegar (5% strength)
• 4 Cinnamon sticks
• 4 teaspoons whole cloves
• 1-1/3 cups water
• Jar grabber (to pick up the hot jars)
• Lid lifter (has a magnet to pick the lids out of the boiling water where you sterilize them.
• Jar funnel
• 1 Crock pot (slow cooker)
• Large spoons and ladles
• 1 Canner (a huge pot to sterilize the jars of spiced peaches  after filling
• 6 pint canning jars

Choose ripe, mature fruit. They should not be mushy, but they also should not be rock hard: just as ripe as you would eat them fresh. Green, unripe peaches will soften but will not ripen, nor have the flavor of tree-ripe peaches.

It takes about 24 medium sized peaches  to make 3 quarts of prepared spiced peaches. 

Peel the Peaches- just dip the fruit in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds.  Remove from the water using a slotted spoon and put into a large bowl or pot of cold water and ice. The skins will easily slide off now!  In boiling water for 60 seconds,  then in cold water for 2 min.

Cut out any brown spots and mushy areas. Cut the peaches in half, or quarters or slices, 

NOTE: the traditional Southern style is to leave the peaches whole (and stick the cloves into them)  You can do this and follow the rest of the directions.  Some folks don't even peel the peaches (it's up to you: I like them peeled, pits removed and sliced; they're just less messy to eat!)

Put

• 8 cups sugar
• 2 ¾ c cider vinegar (5% strength)
• 1-1/3 cups water

in a medium sized pot (6 quarts or bigger). and get it heating over medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved.

NOTE: The sweetener can be sugar, Splenda, fruit juice (peach juice or white grape juice work well) or none at all!  Generally, spiced peaches  is a fairly sweet concoction, so you might want to add some sweetening. 

Put the spices in cheesecloth and add them

Put the

• 4 Cinnamon sticks and
• 4 teaspoons whole cloves

Tie the cinnamon sticks and whole cloves in a double thickness of cheesecloth and add them to the pot. For spicier peaches, use additional cloves and cinnamon sticks.

Heat the mixture

Bring to boiling, cover the pot, and boil for five minutes.

remove the cover and and boil for five minutes longer.

Step 9 - Add the peaches

Add peaches to hot syrup. Bring syrup to boiling again and simmer peaches for 10 minutes or until tender (covered with a lid or splatter guard).

Fill the jars

Fill them to within 1/4 inch of the top, wipe any spilled spiced peaches  of the top, seat the lid and tighten the ring around them.  Put them in the canner and keep them cover with at least 1 inch of water and boiling. if you are at sea level (up to 1,000 ft) boil pint jars for 5 minutes and quart jars for 10 min. If you are at an altitude of 1,000 feet or more, see this chart:

Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight)  You can then remove the rings if you like.

I found this recipe and info  and alot of other great recipes and info on canning at PickYourOwn.org

we really love this recipe. good on ice cream, in a cobbler, even just out of the jar.