I was asked by a couple of readers to share the recipe I used to make Peach Butter earlier this week. This recipe comes from The Ball Blue Book of Preserving. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to can food items. I paid around $7 for it and it is an excellent reference for food preservation.
Peach Butter
Yields 4 pints
4 to 4 1/2 pounds peached (about 18 medium sized peaches)
4 Cups of sugar
To prepare pulp: Wash and blanch peaches. Put peaches in cold water. Peel, pit and slice peaches. Combine peaches with 1/2 cup of water in a large saucepot. Simmer until peaches are soft. Puree using a food processor or food mill, being careful not to liquefy. Measure two quarts of peach pulp.
To make butter: Combine peach pulp and sugar in a large sauce pot. Cook until thick enough to round up on a spoon. As mixture thickens stir frequently to prevent sticking. Ladle hot butter into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps. Process two minutes in hot boiling-water canner.
Recipe Variation: For spiced butter add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon or any combination of these spices when adding sugar.
