Who Wants Pie?!

Whew!! I have spent the last 2 days canning three boxes of peaches.  It feels so good to sit down! 35 quarts of peaches is no joke.

I have canned a bunch of stuff, but I haven't actually done any peaches.  If you are getting ready to do yours here are some things I learned.  

+If you have someone to help it is a lot faster.  And more fun.

+Wide mouth jars are your friend.

+If you are working alone Fruit Fresh is your friend.

If you want a really great visual of how to can peaches then I will refer you to the ladies of Little Birdie Secrets.

{She apparently has four hands and can cut peaches and take a picture of it at the same time!}
 Even though I've done my fair share of canning, a couple of tips from their post on canning peaches seriously made today go much smoother. 

I mixed it up today and made pie filling too.  The recipe I used is from Darin's grandma and aunt and is so delicious.  I just want to eat it out of the jar!  EDIT: I just found out the recipe is a family secret.  So I went to cooks.com and found a very similar recipe to share.  The best part is you can use the recipe for peaches or apples.  

{Just so you know I halved the recipe and it made 7 quarts of peach pie filling.  It might do less with apples since they aren't as soft as peaches.  Also you will need to be familiar with things like blanching fruit.  Refer to above mentioned post for more info}

 First things first blanch, peel, pit and slice your peaches.  Sprinkle with fruit fresh and then fill your jars.  This will take way more peaches than you think so be prepared!  Then make your pie filling sauce.

Peach {and apple} Pie Filling

4 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup corn starch
10 cups of water
Stir and cook over medium heat until thickened. Then add...
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg 
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
{you can adjust spices to your liking}

When done it will look something like this

 I accidentally deleted my next picture and this is the only tiny bit tricky part.   Using a funnel and a ladle put in one ladle-ful of sauce.  Using the handle of a (non-metal)spoon or spatula push the sauce down to the bottom to spread it out.  Then add some more sauce leaving 1/2 inch headspace.  Add lids and process in a hot water bath for 30 minutes.  

Now you can make some delicious pie, cobbler, dump cake, or eat it on waffles or straight out of the jar. any time you want!