Not sure how to use those small peaches growing on your trees this year? Don’t throw those little guys out just yet. Believe it or not, you can make almost everything you normally make with regular-sized peaches. With a few minor tweaks in the process. There is no need to waste a good batch of fruit just because the are a little small, harder to peel, etc. So sit back, relax, and let me show you how I used our tiny peaches this year…
No need to waste
I’ll admit, one year, our peach trees grew these tiny little peaches and we figured we couldn’t do much with them. I thought they were just way too small to peel and pit, and it wouldn’t be worth the time or effort. So we left them for the birds. Literally. Ugh, what a mistake that was. They just sat on the trees and rotted in the sun until the little chirpers flew in and had a feast!
It never occurred to me to process these delicious peaches until it was too late. I didn’t realize that removing the skins from peaches wasn’t entirely necessary. Then I found out that some people prefer to leave the skins on the peaches! I guess I just figured the final product would be too tough or sour-tasting. Taking the time to peel every single one of these gems seemed daunting. Let’s be real, NOBODY has time for that!
This year was different…
Go ahead and harvest those small peaches
After a good pruning and some care, this year, the peaches came back. And there was a lot! They were still small, but this time, we didn’t waste them. We got to work plucking them out of the trees. Snacking on them as we went. They were DELICIOUS! I knew we were making the right decision this year!
Sorting and Ripening
Our next step was to get the ripe and unripe peaches sorted out. The reason I took the time to do this was to make sure I had a good batch of slightly overripe peaches for my peach butter recipe. When they are a little overripened, they are easier to cook down, and a lot of their natural sugars have developed. This required less added sugar later on in the recipe. As for the “greener” peaches. I just let them ripen up a little bit and used those in my peach jam recipe. The ripening process only took about two days. We just let the peaches sit out on the countertops, and oh man, the house smelled heavenly! I couldn’t wait to get started on the next step!
Washing and Pitting
Once my little sweet peaches were ripe and ready, I washed them in the sink with running water. Then I proceeded to cut and pit the peaches. The nice thing about this technique was that I didn’t need to peel the skins off. Once I had the peaches pitted, I mashed them down with a potato masher and proceeded with my peach jam and butter recipes. This saved me a lot of time. There were a lot of peaches to process, so I put on some of my favorite podcasts and got to work!
I decided to go ahead and use Sure Jell for my peach jam recipe. The instructions were easy to follow and the end result was fantastic. After that, I went ahead and processed my peach butter, no Sure Jell was needed in that recipe. There was a good amount of jam and butter, so I decided to “water bath” can them. My favorite part of this whole process is decorating my canned goods with pretty fabrics and twine. They are a great gift option or “stocking stuffer” for the upcoming holiday season. Who wouldn’t want a delicious jar of homemade peach jam on warm toast during the winter? You can snag a copy of my peach jam, peach butter, and water bath canning instructions below!
Peach Jam with Sure Jell and Peach Butter Recipes
Below you will find a handwritten copy of the peach jelly and peach butter recipes. Each box of Sure Jell comes with an insert of recipes to make different kinds of jams. I believe you could apply this same recipe using pears. Yum!
I usually just print off or handwrite my favorite recipes, then stick them in a 3-ring binder. That is basically my master “cookbook” that I refer to in my kitchen. It’s nothing fancy I know, but it works for me! Feel free to print a copy of this for yourself!
Oh, and FYI, the little handwritten “c” with the dash above it simply means “with.” I’m an RN by trade, and old habits die hard. LOL!
Water Bath Canning Technique
Feel free to copy and print my handwritten instructions for water bath canning. I plan to invest in a pressure canner in the future. If you have any recommendations, just leave me a comment below. I’d love to hear about them! For now, this is the technique I use:
Pin this for later!
My favorite tools for processing and canning on Amazon:
So, if you experience less-than-ideal produce one season, I hope you’re inspired to find a way to salvage that food. After all, you worked so hard to grow it! These techniques and recipes are pretty straightforward. My goal is that someone new to canning and preserving might find my recipes a helpful easy place to start. Till next time!
Good ideas, and I love the hand written instructions 🙂
Thank you! I’m so glad you like the handwritten recipes! I was a little nervous about posting them, but it’s what I actually use and I felt it added a nice homemade touch;)