Peach Butter...

I am going to make this tomorrow and
save some for the Larder Swap in November.

You will need:

• Fresh, ripe peaches (roughly one pound of peaches per pint… roughly…)
• Sucanat (aka unrefined cane sugar)

Start by removing the pits from your peaches and cutting them into quarters.

Toss them in your food processor or high-speed blender, and process until they are smooth. (Be careful not to liquefy them– we want a smooth puree, not peach juice). Now we need to cook the puree so it reaches the perfect consistency. You have two options: a slow cooker or a regular ol’ pot on the stove.

Slow Cooker Peach Butter: This method takes longer (anywhere from several hours to all day), but requires less babysitting. Simply pour your peach puree into your slow cook, and set it on low. You’ll want to crack the lid open to allow the steam to escape. Otherwise, your peach butter won’t reduce and thicken.

Stovetop Peach Butter: This method takes less time, but you need to be there to make sure you don’t get peach butter spewed all over your kitchen. Pour the peach puree in a large stock pot and set it on the stove over medium-low heat. Stir frequently to prevent burning (and splashing) and continue to cook until it reaches the desired consistency (30-40 minutes)

You’ll know your peach butter is done (regardless of cooking method) when it mounds up on a spoon like this:

Perform a quick taste test to see if you need to add sweetener– my peaches were pretty sweet already, so I only added about 1/2 cup of sweetener to my batch. It took the edge off of the sourness without ruining the fresh, peachy flavor.

At this point you can:

• Let the peach butter cool and eat it right away (enlist the help of friends and family members so you don’t engorge yourself with peach butter)
• Pour your peach butter into freezer-safe containers and pop it in the freezer for later
• Can it: Pour the peach butter into sterilized glass pint jars and leave 1/4 inch of headspace. Process the peach butter in a boiling-water canner for 10 minutes.