Due to a mild winter, our peach tree bloomed a
couple of weeks early this year, so we have been harvesting peaches a few weeks
earlier than usual.
One of our favorite ways to use our peach
harvest is to can our own fruit cocktail.
I had hoped to make significantly more fruit cocktail this year than
last year, but my kids and husband ate some of the organic fruit I bought
before canning day, so I made nearly the same amount: three pint and a half
jars plus 4 pint jars (17 cups) versus the eight pint jars I made last year (16
cups).
I used exactly the same fruits as last year: peaches
from our tree, apples, and pears.
However, this year I forgot to add the lime juice, so we won’t try to
save a jar to see how long it keeps (acidic environments are less likely to
spoil). We opened the final jar from
last year a couple of weeks ago, and it was just as good as the day we made
it. I doubt this year’s jars will make
it to fall. My girls love our homemade
fruit cocktail; maybe we’ll make some in winter with other fruits.
You can find the link to the fruit cocktail
recipe, as well as the Peach Salsa and Peach Popsicles we made both this year
and last year at this post. I opted to
puree all of the peaches for the popsicles, because the diced pieces were
really hard to chew from last year’s batch.
That post also discusses the nutrients found in peaches.
I repeated a recipe from last year that I did not
include in that post: Spiced Peaches by Dorothy from her blog Shockingly Delicious. I like to call these sweet
and sour peaches; however, they do not taste like the red stuff you will find
in a Chinese restaurant.
I also made a great Peach Barbecue Sauce by Katie from So Tasty So Yummy that I served with
her Chick-fil-a Chicken Nuggets. Although I haven’t tried making variations of
this sauce yet, I bet it would taste great even without the peach. We have been eating this sauce with grilled
meats and even with baked potatoes.
And, I made a version of
Katie’s Peach Oat Muffins that I found highlighted on another blog through the
Secret Recipe Club Dorothy and Katie both participate in. Here is the other version. I actually merged the two versions, but I'm sure these muffins will turn out great whichever recipe you use.
We definitely liked them.
Finally, I made a Peach Custard Pie using this Good Housekeeping recipe for Nectarines.
The custard part is really good, but we used the last of our crop and
the peaches tasted sour. I think this is
because we harvested most of those peaches before they were ripe in order to
keep the birds from getting them all!
If you have a favorite peach recipe, I hope you
will share it; I am always looking for something new to try.
In 2012 I linked with: Welcome Home, Farm Fresh Friday, Making it Count, Tea with Saint Anne, My Favorite Things, Show Me What You Got, Open House with Four Moms, Food on Fridays, and Try a New Recipe Tuesday.
In 2013 I am linking with: Backyard Barbecue Bloghop, Motivational Monday, Better Mom Monday,
Healthy2Day Wednesday, Shoe Lace
You are awesome, Elisa!!! I do not a have a cooking talent. I'm okay, but I'd love to learn more! I'm enjoying all your posts! Thanks so much!!
ReplyDelete(I made bean brownies a few days ago! YUM!!)
Please consider adding a post or two to my Tea with St Anne Link-up party. God Bless!
Thanks for sharing the fruit cocktail yesterday. It is delicious! I need to get started on making my own. Thank you for the inspiration to make healthier eating choices without too much work!
ReplyDeleteBest wishes to both of you as you prepare healthy meals; it really is not difficult, especially if you make one change at a time.
ReplyDeleteJennifer, I would like to know how to make bean brownies!
Jen, let me know if you need help making your fruit cocktail.
There's nothing like good home grown food for a Catholic families!! Thanks for sharing this Elisa!! I'll get that bean brownie recipe for you. It was good, but after a few of my kids heard they were made with beans they refused to eat them! Next time I'll have to tell my oldest "not to spill the beans" pardon the pun! ;-) God Bless!
DeleteYou are so lucky to harvest your own peaches and preserve them this way. Wow, so many recipes...we love fresh peaches too!! We usually get crates of peaches from Colorado and have a Peach day. I love canning them in quart jars so I can use them all year long in crisps and pies! Thank you for linking up with Farm FResh Friday!! Keep the freshness coming!!
ReplyDeleteYou are a cooking dynamo! I think I would like to have you adopt me and my family so we can enjoy all your yummy recipes. Thank you for adding this to the Our Favorite Things link party.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend.
Sall, I hope your Peach day yields plenty of jars for the coming year.
ReplyDeleteKarri, I am in the habit of cooking nearly every day, which means I am constantly trying out new recipes. Most are edible, but only about half are keepers. Next time you are in Texas, I'll have your family over for dinner. :D
Thanks SO much for linking up with "Try a New Recipe Tuesday!" These look delicious! I can't wait to try them. I can't wait to see what you post this week. God bless, Lisa
ReplyDeleteOh my! What an amazingly delicious post. Pinning this :)
ReplyDelete