Gary,

many of us here raw pack and prefer the method even though the USDA recommends hot pack. I tried both one year and we preferred the product and it was much easier. Hot pack is when you heat the peaches in the syrup before canning.

I always can slices. It is just easier because that is how we use them and it is easier to fit them in the jars, and I can fir more.

Some air bubbles are fine, actually often inevitable.

-Robin

Yeah, what Robin said!
You may have some bubbles BECAUSE of the halves. A little air can be trapped in the cavity.

I think lots of people do halves because they are pretty in the jar. Slice them if you want.

Your peaches will be just fine and a real treat come January!

Welcome home! Are most of the fires more controlled now? I haven't seen anything on the news the last couple of weeks about them.
Deanna

G'Day Robin and Deanna. Thanks for the responses. I am letting the remaining peaches ripen a bit more before processing them. I am going to go with slices! Cheers, Gary

Fire reports: We have many fires still burning and some of our nearby fires are, at last, contained. We just had a grass fire early this morning on the way up to our local ski area. We are still getting smoke and it is still a bit warm for this time of year. If you have not looked at the referenced site it is worthwhile. There are many photos and maps for the various fires. If you are interested in your state navigate to your state.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fire Status for Idaho

If your canning peaches, be sure to add the necessary ascorbic acid as they will oxidize very quickly and turn an unappetizing brown color.

Thanks Ken. I did add the requisite amount of Fruit Fresh to the syrup (tsp per cup of syrup) and brought it to a boil. After peeling the peaches, and cutting them in half, I placed them in an ascorbic water bath before filling the jars with peaches and then the hot syrup. Do I need to add more based on your experience? For example, you suggest (in a previous thread/post) sprinkling some on the very top of the peaches.

By the way, I just checked my peaches and the dreaded float exists in all 5 quarts. From what I gather, that is common and I should not worry about it. Is that correct?

One benefit of waiting for the peaches to ripen is the wonderful odor of peaches filling the house. Take care, Gary

I have found that if I have any exposed above the liquid, they can turn brown. Thats why I sprinkled a bit more of teh ascorbic on the surface prior to capping. The jars are not shaken much after that, as the little sprinkle of more ascorbic can help to keep the surface a good color, even after its sitting around a while. When I canned mine, they were slightly underripe, so they held up better to heat and processing. I used Splenda as the sweetener, and only sweetened the juices, with no water added.

Hello Gary, I do think hot-packed fruit has a better flavor, but frankly, it's a royal pain, and cold-packed peaches still taste wonderful (especially compared to the commercial ones) so why bother? They will float; it's the nature of the beast.

Your comments about halves reminded me of my dear MIL, who took great pride in the appearance of peaches and pears in the jar. Even when canning 400 quarts, she nestled each half pit-side-down just-so in the jar.

I agree with Ken (and also I believe Linda Lou has mentioned it previously) that there's a benefit in sprinkling some ascorbic acid on prior to bottling. If the canning g*ds are with you, it isn't necessary, but if there's any air left at all, it helps prevent that unattractive browning. That is especially true now that so many have gone to a reduced-sugar syrup.

Carol

My peach trees are producing faster than I can process them. Can you freeze whole peaches, and then thaw them out and can them?

Why does the some of the syrup leak out of the jars during the water bath process?