P is for Peaches

Monday the sun was bright, the sky was blue and the air ... hot and humid. It was a good day for a drive to Sauvie Island Farms to pick peaches ... EARLY in the day.
It didn't take long to fill my quota of peaches with the help of the grandkids. It wasn't my intention to pick them for canning at the time but as I drove home I felt inspired to dust off my equipment and see if I could recall the process taught to me by my good friend, neighbor and canning mentor, Barb. Here's a post from 2005 about "Canning 101"!
I am so thankful I stored my jars and canner on the top shelf in the garage when we moved here or they would have been long gone to Goodwill or a garage sale by now. You have to keep in mind ... I have not canned since the early 80's.
Due to my schedule I wasn't able to work on this project until Wednesday morning. By then, with the extreme temperatures, the peaches were a little too ripe but I decided to proceed anyway. I was amazed at how much of the process I could recall. Since I was working in a different kitchen I had to adapt to a new workflow. There were just enough peaches to fill six quarts and a few halves left over to top my waffles. It's great to enjoy a tasty breakfast during the water bath process.
The best part of preserving food is to hear the lids "pop" ... the sound of success!