Just Peachy

My latest canning extravaganza is peaches! I actually canned two different types. The first was a fairly complicated (and expensive) recipe for pickled peaches with vanilla. It sounds a little weird...and it may be, but once I looked at the ingredients list I had to try it. The peaches are actually canned in champagne vinegar with whole vanilla beans, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves and whole allspice. I made two big quarts, which I plan to save for the holidays (ham anyone?). I shoved the extra bits into a half quart, so I can preview in the next 6 weeks or so, after they've had time to pickle.

I also canned plain peaches and they were super easy. Instead of syrup, I used white grape juice. They don't require a pressure canner, just a water bath. I can't wait to eat them with a slice of angel food cake (or even right out of the jar) in a few months when there isn't a decent peach to be found.

I bought my peaches at the farmers market from a Clanton farm who brought their produce in baskets on an open air truck (not in commercial boxes). However, I still noticed something odd. To help in getting the skin off, it's recommended to put the peaches in boiling water for 3 minutes. Once this was done, I emptied the used water....and it stunk! It was a strong chemical smell which reminded me of the last time I applied flea dip to a dog - yuck.

I'm comforting myself with the knowledge that my peaches have been boiled and skinned, so I shouldn't be ingesting all those chemicals, but it makes you stop and think about how many chemicals are used, even at our local farms and how many chemicals we eat and don't even know it - my peaches didn't stink until they were boiled....uugghhh.