Village Peach Butter

Original Recipe from:  Lucy Griffin-Bowers and Kay Johnson-Tomblin

This recipe was in with my grandma’s canning recipes from the 1930’s.  I have made apple butter many times but have never tried making any other fruit butter.  When I saw this recipe, I just had to give it a try.  Peaches are one of my favorite fruits so it just stood to reason that Peach Butter would be delicious.  Fruit Butters are a cousin to jams.  A little less sweet, smoother in texture and great not only on toast or biscuits, but also go well with cheese or meats.  Be prepared for the process to take hours (lots of them), but I promise the end result will be worth the time.  Fruit butters can be refrigerated or frozen, however, are best when canned in jars.  My first batch yielded 20 half-pint (8 ounces) jars and was so good I decided to make a second batch.  My second batch yielded 28 jars.  The second half bushel of peaches was much better and a little firmer than the first.  Your yields (and cooking times) will always vary depending on the water content of the fruit and how it reduces as it cooks. 

Making Peach Butter is not hard, there are only two ingredients, but it does take a lot of time.  I encourage you to give it a try, at least once in your life.  There is something so satisfying about opening a jar of fruit butter and serving it to your friends and family knowing that you made it yourself!  Serve it with steaming hot biscuits, over French toast or waffles, as a breakfast or dinner treat.  It’s also great with afternoon teatime. 

This is Grandma’s recipe; I just tweaked it by using more modern kitchen appliances.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

1/2 bushel ripe Peaches.  (Note:  I purchase “seconds” from the orchard, not as pretty as “firsts” but less expensive and taste just as good)

5-6 cups Sugar (more or less depending on how sweet you like your butter)

Half-pint canning jars and lids

Directions

Wash Peaches in cold water.  Skin peaches by immersing them whole into boiling water for 1 minute.  Remove peaches into a bowl of very cold water.  Skins will remove very easily and quickly. 

After removing the skins, cut peaches into medium size slices or chunks.  Run peaches through a food processor to make a pulp (puree).  Note:  This step is optional, but cuts down on the cooking time considerably.  If you do not make the pulp, you will need to cook the peaches into the pulp stage and that takes time.  That’s how my grandma would have done it, but then she didn’t have kitchen equipment we have available to us today. 

Measure out 16 cups of Peach Pulp and add 5-6 cups of Sugar.  Mix thoroughly.  Note:  You will have at least two batches of pulp from a half-bushel of Peaches.

Pour Peach Pulp/Sugar mixture into a large pot or large electric skillet.  Heat to a low boil then reduce heat to a low simmer.  Simmer until it reduces (cooks down) to about half. 

As it cooks the mixture will get thicker and will require frequent stirring to keep from burning.  Frequent stirring is vital to the success of your butter.  Start out stirring every 15 minutes, then more often as it thickens (every 5 minutes at the final stage).  I had the best success with the electric skillet at 275 degrees; it was the fastest method and allowed me to control the temperature more precisely.  Taste test the butter as it starts to get pretty thick.  Add more sugar if needed for your taste.

Note:  Once you have started cooking the pulp, you have to continue the process all the way through canning.  I did the skinning and pulp stages on one day and stored it in the refrigerator.  Then the next morning I added the sugar and cooked, then canned the peach butter.  I would not recommend more than 24 hours between making the pulp and cooking the butter.

The butter is done when it sticks to the spoon.  Note:  if you prefer a smoother butter, use an immersion blender at this stage.  When I made my first batch I didn’t use the blender, but did with the second batch.  I personally prefer the smoother batch, although they were both very good. 

Hot-pack in sterilized glass jars.  Process the jars in a Boiling-Water Bath (boil for 20 minutes), or in a Pressure Canner (5 pounds pressure for 10 minutes).  Note:  I prefer to use a pressure canner, but either method is safe.  After processing, put the hot jars in a spot where they will not be disturbed for 24 hours.  After 24 hours, test each jar to ensure they are sealed by pressing down on the center of the lid.  If the lid doesn’t move, the jar is sealed.  If you have a jar that hasn’t sealed, it is still good to eat just store it in the refrigerator. 

Important Note:  It is very important to start with a clean kitchen and to keep it clean during the cooking and canning process.  Sanitize your sink, counters and stovetop with a bleach water solution before preparing the recipe.  Clean up after each stage to maintain a clean environment.  Glass canning jars should be washed and sterilized in boiling water or run through the dishwasher using the heated drying cycle before filling with the fruit butter.  Jar lids and rings should be boiled for 5 minutes before using.  Rings can be reused multiple times, just inspect them for dents or rust (throw those away).  Jar lids can only be used once and then should be disposed.