Pitting peaches

[LIBRA]

I bought a bushel of peaches and am having a hard time pitting them, I want to can them so Id like the peaches to be in halves. I keep smooshing them. I guess I got clingstone peaches and I should have got freestone, I didnt know the difference untill now. Anyone have a trick they could share. Ive froze alot and Im going to make jam with the rest but I really just wanted to can them in like apple juice, but not when I smoosh them lol!!!

[Unkle_John]

mmmm peaches. Freestone are my fave.

I take a steak knife an carefully cut until I feel the knife meet the pit. I then cut around the peach (from top under and over back to the top). I haven't had many problems with this method. I do, how ever, keep them in the chiller drawer of my fridge (It gets hot in our kitchen in the evening during the summertime).

Here's an article (http://www.finecooking.com/articles/how-to/pit-a-peach.aspx) on getting stubborn pits out
Hope that helps!

[LIBRA]

Thats what I do too but they cling to that pit so bad its not working. Ive been having to cut in chunks off the pit instead of using them by the halves. Im going to have to wait and use freestone when they are ready, few more weeks.

[Hippie Staff]

Are the peaches still really hard? I know when the sugar builds up sometimes they release from the pit a bit better...but maybe it's just that type of peach?

[Gaston]

Libra, the country folks' solution is to buy gallon jars and can them whole - when you take them out of the pickling solution the pits come out easier. Ya'know, they call them "cling" peaches for a reason, and that's why they're usually cheaper than freestone peaches.

Both taste good, though.

[LIBRA]

I wasnt sure if you could can them whole pit and all? I have lots of wide mouth jars :) Whole it is!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sweet!!!

[Gaston]

I probably wasn't clear on something - here the cling peaches (usually sold by the box on the side of the road, trucked in from Georgia) are mostly pickled, not canned in syrup. It's a vinegar & sugar pickle with spices and a nice change of pace. I've never pickled them myself but I always thought adding some/many hot peppers to the jar would be an improvement. Of course, I'd put hot peppers in ice cream. :D

[LIBRA]

I see. My son loves canned peaches, not sure if he would like them in brine though. Im just going to wait and buy freestones, I know there alot more$ but worth it imo. I get PA grown peaches, they arent cheap either way.

I heard yesterday this lady paid 80$ for a bushel of tomatoes!!!! Crazy!!

[yugogypsy]

LOL, at my house its peeling tomatoes.:( My tenant went berserk and we have over 150 tomato plants, just as many organic tobacco,about 20 cucumber plants and enough squash to feed an army.

Next year should be more organized as we are building a second greenhouse and putting a new floor in my Mercedes van/potting shed (waste not,want not-its a great shed;))

Tomorrow we are going to make more catsup, and we've frozen some tomatoes. Now we've got them ripening in boxes all over the house.

I see a lot of canning and freezing in my future and I'll be making gren tomato chutney too.

If anyone needs catsup recipes please just ask, I think I have at least 100.

Take Care all

HUGS:group_hug
Lois

[Gaston]

Lois,

One year when tomatoes by the bushel were cheap (we lived in an apartment and didn't have a garden), we made some ketchup that was wonderful! Best I remember it had some sweet spices like cinnamon and nutmeg and mace, and some hot peppers (of course), and it was memorable. We used a similar recipe to make tomato chutney with raisins and slivered almonds in it - it didn't last long, we cooked tons of dried beans just to have something to put the chutney on.

This year we didn't get a hatful of tomatoes from about 20 plants, I don't know what went wrong with 'maters this year but a lot of people had the same problem.

On the other hand, we had more eggplant than we could use out of only 5 or 6 plants. Go figure.

[yugogypsy]

Gaston,

We are making a wonderfully mild Amish catsup that goes with everything and we've created chipotle pepper and roast garlic catsups using it as a base.

No problem getting it out of the jar either as its not as thick as commercial catsup.:)

Lois

[yugogypsy]

Now we've made Yellow Amish Catsup from Yellow Tomatoes!:)

Lois