Smooth & Delicious Rosemary Peach Butter

It’s peach season! I just love this time of year because I get to go to my favorite farm and pick out peaches for peach butter.

The funny thing is… I didn’t like peaches when I was younger. I know, that’s kind of odd for someone that grew up in Georgia, a state known for it’s peaches. I enjoyed the flavor of peaches, but not the fuzz. I’m a texture-oriented eater and peach fuzz just doesn’t feel right on my teeth. I missed out on enjoying Georgia peaches for a long time, but once I got into canning, I made up for lost time.

I particularly enjoy making peach butter. Over the past few years, I’ve made several different types of peach butter. I love the tried and true peach butters, but I wanted to try something different this season.

The problem is, I get stuck in my box sometimes. When I need to come up with a creative idea and have a mental block, I turn to Pinterest for ideas. It’s amazing what you can find there.

I knew I wanted to add something different to the peach butter, but I couldn’t think of what that should be. I happened upon a couple of photos of Rosemary Peach Butter and decided rosemary was the missing ingredient. 

Why didn’t I think of that?  I love rosemary. I have a rosemary bush that beckons to me everyday as I walk by.  And, I’ve been using rosemary quite a bit lately in baking and cooking.

I decided to come out of my box and make this Rosemary Peach Butter. Now, it’s your turn to come out of the box.

 

Rosemary Peach Butter

 

Makes: 5 –6  Eight ounce jars

Idea inspired by: Food Babbles Rosemary Peach Butter 

Canning method adapted from: Put ‘em Up! by Sherry Brooks Vinton

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds ripe peaches
• 1 cup water
• 1/8 cup lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 small sprigs Rosemary

 

Preparation:

Step 1: Place the water and the lemon juice in a large nonreactive pot. Then prepare an ice-water bath by placing ice cubes and cold water in a large bowl.

Step 2: Fill another large pot with water and bring it to boil. Carefully drop 2 peaches at time into the boiling water and blanch them for 30 seconds to loosen the skins.

Step 3: Using a slotted spoon, remove the peaches from the water and place them in the ice-water bath.  Repeat the process with the remaining peaches. Let them drain in a colander.

Step 4: Peel the peaches.  This should be really easy now that they been blanched. Cut them in half and remove the pit.  Take the peach and smash it with your hand, then add it to the large pot with the lemon juice mixture.  Repeat this process with the rest of the peaches.

Step 5: Bring the peach mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer until the peaches are soft, about 10 minutes or so. 

Step 6: Cool the mixture slightly, then puree with a stick blender. Place the pureed mixture back in the pot and add the sugar.

Step 7:  Wrap the rosemary sprigs in cheesecloth and fasten with string. Place the rosemary pouch in the pot with the peach puree and simmer this mixture over medium-low heat until it thickens.  This could take anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour or so. I placed a dollop on a plate that had been placed in the freezer to check if the gel was set. If the butter doesn’t spread around it’s perimeter, then it is ready.

Step 8: Remove the butter from the heat. Retrieve the rosemary pouch and discard. Ladle the butter into clean, sterilized, hot half-pint jars.  Leave 1/4 inch headspace.  Remove air bubbles if necessary with a bubble remover and headspace tool. Wipe the edges clean. Center lid on jar.  Then screw the band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight. 

Step 9:  Place the jars in the canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Process in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes in altitudes up to 1,000 feet.  If you live in a higher altitude or need more detailed instructions on water-bath canning, please refer to the instructions at the National Center for Home Preservation.

Step 10: Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove the jars, and let them sit on the counter for 24 hours to cool and ensure they are sealed correctly. You should hear the lids pop if they are sealed properly.

Place the sealed jars in a cool, dry place for storage for up to a year.  If any of the jars do not seal properly, place them in the refrigerator. They will last for a couple of months in the refrigerator.

 

The flavor of this Rosemary Peach Butter is wonderful!  It has just a hint of rosemary so it’s not overpowering. I could eat it by the spoonful.

 

Happy Canning!

Cathy

Spicy Peach Butter -- smooth and easy!

I don’t know about you, but I’m finding more and more reasons to put away the fruit of the harvest from my garden and from local farms.

I grew up in the suburbs of Atlanta and back then we weren’t into canning so much, but my mom did can some fruits and vegetables. These days, she’s into canning and freezing the bounty from her beautiful gardens. I get my gardening inspiration from her.  It was my Grandmother, from South Georgia, that canned a good bit while we were growing up. Although I did not learn the art from her, it must’ve rubbed off on me. It’s in my veins now and once the bug hits you, there’s no turning back.

I’m glad the bug hit me. Homemade jams taste so good and definitely enhance the bread experience. This Spicy Peach Butter is a delicious reminder of summer. It goes down really easy.

 

I got some Georgia Loring peaches when we visited a farm last week. Loring peaches are freestone peaches, the perfect peach for canning. They taste great, and are really easy to work with.

 

To prepare the peaches for canning, I referred to the method in Sherry Brooks Vinton’s book “Put ‘em Up!”  Basically, you take a really ripe peach and blanch it to remove the peel, cut it in half and remove the pit, and then smash it with your hand.  You don’t even have to cut it up.  Just blanch it, peel it, pit it, smash it, boil it, can it!  It’s that easy!

 

Spicy Peach Butter

Adapted from: Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving and Put ‘em Up! by Sherry Brooks Vinton

Makes: About 8 or 9 cups (Half-Pints)

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups water
• 1/4 cup bottled lemon juice
• 9 pounds peaches
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

 

Preparation:

Step 1: Place the water and the lemon juice in a large nonreactive pot. Then prepare an ice-water bath by placing ice cubes and cold water in a large bowl or you can use a clean and sterilized sink.

Step 2: Fill another large pot with water and bring it to boil. Carefully drop 2 peaches at time into the boiling water and blanch them for 30 seconds to loosen the skins.

 

Step 3: Using a slotted spoon, remove the peaches from the water and place them in the ice-water bath.  Repeat the process with the remaining peaches. Let them drain in a colander.

 

Step 4: Peel the peaches, which should be really easy now that they been blanched, then cut them in half and remove the pit. 

 

 

Take the peach and smash it with your hand, then add it to the large pot with the lemon juice mixture.  Repeat this process with the rest of the peaches.

 

Step 5: Bring the peach mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer until the peaches are soft, about 10 minutes or so. 

 

Step 6: Cool the mixture slightly, then puree with a stick blender. The Ball Book of Canning recommends that you don’t liquefy the mixture when you puree it, but I got carried away so my mixture was liquefied.  I wondered if this would keep it from reaching the gel stage, but it did okay.

 

Step 7: Place the pureed mixture back in the pot and add the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Simmer this mixture over medium-low heat until it thickens.  This could take anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour or so. I placed a dollop on a plate that had been placed in the freezer to check if the gel was set. If the butter doesn’t spread around it’s perimeter, then it is ready.

 

Step 8: Remove the butter from the heat and ladle into clean, sterilized, hot half-pint jars.  Leave 1/4 inch headspace.  Remove air bubbles if necessary with a bubble remover and headspace tool. Wipe the edges clean. Center lid on jar.  Then screw the band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight. 

 

 

Step 9:  Place the jars in the canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Process in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes in altitudes up to 1,000 feet.

If you live in a higher altitude or need more detailed instructions on water-bath canning, please refer to the instructions at the National Center for Home Preservation.

 

Step 10: Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove the jars, and let them sit on the counter for 24 hours to cool and ensure they are sealed correctly. You should hear the lids pop if they are sealed properly. Place the sealed jars in a cool, dry place for storage for up to a year.  If any of the jars do not seal properly, place them in the refrigerator. They will last for a couple of months in the refrigerator.

 

I ended up with more jam than would fit in the 7 jars I had sterilized so I filled 2 extra jars that didn’t go in the boiling-water bath. They went in the refrigerator after they cooled down and posed for this photo.

 

I love the way this peach butter tastes and the texture is, well buttery… smooth and easy!

Happy Canning!

Cathy

Peach and Lavender Butter

When my youngest son and I visited our favorite farm a few weeks ago, I bought two different varieties of peaches – Jersey Queen and Sun Prince. Both varieties were juicy and delicious, but as my son so aptly put it, the Jersey Queens were the really sweet ones and the “jammable” ones were the Sun Princes. We enjoyed eating both varieties, but I used most of the Sun Prince peaches for canning.

I started by making a double batch of Lord Grey Peach Preserves.  These preserves are so good I’ve been eating them by the spoonful. I’ve also been giving some away so I don’t eat them all myself.

Even after making a double batch of preserves and sending a bag of peaches with my son when he went back to school, I still had a bunch of peaches left.  I decided it was time to make peach butter.

I found this recipe for Peach and Lavender Butter and had just enough peaches to make it.  Last year, I made Peach and Lavender Jam and I really liked the lavender flavor so I was pretty much sold on this recipe before I even tried it.

 

Peach and Lavender Butter Recipe

Yield: About Six 8oz (250 mL) Jars

Recipe from: Homemade Living: Canning & Preserving with Ashley English: All You Need to Know to Make Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Chutneys & More

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds peaches (peeled, pitted, and chopped roughly)
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 tablespoons fresh or dried lavender buds (I used dry)
• 3 tablespoons bottled lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 3 cups granulated sugar

 

Directions:

1. Bring 1/3 cup water to boil.  Place the lavender buds in a small bowl.  Pour in the boiling water; cover, and steep for 15 minutes. Strain the liquid through a mesh sieve and set aside. Be sure to keep the strained lavender buds. 

   

2. Prepare canner, jars and lids.  For more information, visit the National Center for Home Preservation web site.

3. Combine the lavender water, peaches, lemon juice, and zest in a heavy, stainless steel pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes , until the peach mixture thickens and clings to a spoon.  Remove from heat.

   

4. Once the peach mixture has cooled slightly, puree it in the blender or food processor or press it through a food mill or fine-meshed sieve.  Return the puree to the pot, add the sugar and lavender buds and bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. 

   

5. Stir the mixture continually until the sugar is completely dissolved. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 25 minutes.

   

    

6. Ladle peach butter into clean, hot 1/2-pint jars. Wipe rims, seal, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. 

   Refer to the National Center for Home Preservation web site for more info on canning and to check processing times for high altitudes. 

7. Remove the canner lid and let the jars rest in the canner for 5 minutes.
8. Remove the jars from the canner and place on the counter to cool. Let them rest overnight, then move to a cool, dry place for storage.

   

 

Here are some of the references I use in my canning adventures.

• Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
• The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving
• Keeping The Harvest: Discover the Homegrown Goodness of Putting Up Your Own Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs
• National Center for Home Preservation