Lord Grey’s Peach Preserves

As I was thumbing through the August 2011 issue of bon appétit magazine, I saw these peach preserves. They sounded unique and tasty so I decided to try them.

 

 

My youngest son was home for a couple of weeks between semesters so I took him to our favorite farm to get peaches and homemade ice cream. This farm is about an hour an a half away — just far enough to get away from the city but not so far that it wears you out.

We had the chance to catch up during the drive which was a big part of reason I wanted to take him with me. He got some homemade peach ice cream, and I got some more peaches for canning so all in all it worked out pretty well. 

These Sun Prince peaches are delicious and cling free which makes them great for canning.

I didn’t have any Earl Grey Tea on hand, but as luck would have it, my son has developed a taste for Earl Grey and happened to have a stash of tea hidden in his room. He let me use some of it for these preserves. 

He took some of the preserves back to school with him so he got something out of the deal as well.

 

Lord Grey’s Peach Preserves

Makes: 2 Pints

Source: August 2011 bon appétit

I doubled the recipe. I had a peck of peaches that I needed to use and these preserves seemed like a really easy way to can the peaches without too much effort.  My preserves turned out darker than the preserves in the magazine photo, but I think it’s due to the type of tea I used. 

 

Ingredients:

• 5 pounds ripe peaches
• 4 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 5 Earl Grey tea bags, divided

 

Directions:

1. Cut a small, shallow X in the bottom of each peach. Working in batches, blanch in a large pot of boiling water until skin loosens, about 1 minute. Transfer to a large bowl of ice water; let cool. Peel, halve, and pit. Cut into 1/3 inch slices. Combine with sugar and juice in a large bowl. Let stand for 30 minutes.

   

    

2. Place a small plate in freezer. Transfer fruit mixture and 4 tea bags to a large heavy pot. Open the remaining tea bag; crumble leaves slightly; add to pot.

   

    

3. Bring to a boil, stirring gently, and cook 15-20 minutes. Test doneness by scooping a small spoonful onto chilled plate and tilting plate. (Preserves are ready if they don’t run.) Remove tea bags.

   

    

4. Skim foam from the surface of jam. Ladle jam into 2 clean, hot 1-pint jars. Wipe rims, seal, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. 

   

   Refer to the National Center for Home Preservation web site for more info on canning and to check processing times for high altitudes. 

5. Remove the canner lid and let the jars rest in the canner for 5 minutes.

6. Remove the jars from the canner and place on the counter to cool. Let them rest overnight, then move to a cool, dry place for storage.

   Hopefully, like me, you’ll have some preserves that didn’t quite fit in the processed jars so you can enjoy some and save some for later.

    

   

    

   These preserves are so good! I love the hint of floral flavor the Earl Grey Tea imparts. I could eat it by the spoonful.  I think it’s time to give some away.

    

   Nutritional Information

   1 tablespoon serving contains:
   Calories (kcal) 39.7
   %Calories from Fat 0.0
   Fat (g) 0.0
   Saturated Fat (g) 0.0
   Cholesterol (mg) 0.0
   Carbohydrates (g) 11.4
   Dietary Fiber (g) 0.4
   Total Sugars (g) 11.0
   Net Carbs (g) 11.0
   Protein (g) 0.2
   Sodium (mg) 0.0

    

   Here are some of the references I use in my canning adventures.

   • Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
   • The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving
   • Keeping The Harvest: Discover the Homegrown Goodness of Putting Up Your Own Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs
   • National Center for Home Preservation