What? Why? How?!!!
What to do with an abundance of fresh fruit at their peak of ripeness?… Can it! No, not trash it… Can it, as in preserve it. Yes, imagine 6 yummy 1/2 pint jars of summer goodness in the chill of winter…
Mmmm. 🙂

It’s fairly cool during the summer at 8000′ elevation in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, so any time of the year is canning time. I don’t usually worry about over heating the house with cooking and canning. Maina being in Texas might want to use a crock-pot to cook her fruit, this saves the house from excess heat. Then the canning process can also be done outside on a reliable propane heat source.
Canning is a great option when local produce is plentiful and on sale. I bought locally grown Colorado Palisade Peaches for .99 cents a pound! The large box of blueberries was on special for $2.99, and apples were $1.99 for a 3 pound bag. We ate some of the fruit and froze some for smoothies and made preserves. What a deal! Shop the farmer markets and watch the sale papers

Eat it, Freeze it, Can it!
Apple, Blueberry, Peach Preserves
What you’ll need:
- 6 1/2 pint mason jars
- water bath canner
- large pot or crock-pot
- 2 pounds apples (core and slice or cut in chunks, no need to peel)
- 1 pound peaches (remove pits and slice or cut in chunks, no need to peel)
- 1/2 pound blueberries
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups demarara sugar (or your choice of sweetener: raw, coconut or palm sugar)
Core and slice apples, remove pits and slice peaches, no need to peel, add blueberries and remaining ingredients to pot or crock-pot. Save the apple cores for the horses!
Don’t freak out over the amount of sugar! If you do the math it works out to 16 tsp of sugar per 1/2 pint jar. Now think about the amount used to spread on a piece of toast… Whew, and it’s way better than store bought. Homemade with no preservatives or artificial anything.
Cooking directions:
- Stove top: Add all ingredients to pot. Bring to boil, stirring to keep from sticking. Reduce heat to medium. Cook 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes till fruit and skins are soft.
- Crock-pot option: Add all ingredients to crock-pot and cook 3-5 hours till fruit and skins are soft.
- Mashing: I prefer it chunky so I use a potato masher. Immersion blender, mixer and food processor all produce different results. Mash it to your liking.
Preserving the Harvest:
- Water bath can: Ladle into sterilized jars leaving 1/2″ head space. Process 15 minutes for 1/2 pint jars. Adjusting head space and processing time for your altitude (high altitudes need more head space and time).
Another option is freezing (good for 1 year) in glass or plastic containers or freezer bags.

Remember to label and date your jars 🙂
More uses: Stir into smoothies, oatmeal, yogurt, topping for ice cream, filling for cake, tarts, cobbler…
Enjoy a taste of summer in winter!
Namasté
M&M
I never thought about doing that… Now I feel so stupid because I used to waste a lot but this is truely an option to not throw it away 🙂 Thanks for sharing. Love your blog!
Anna xx https://annadaftari.wordpress.com/
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Thanks! Small amounts of fruit can also be frozen till there’s enough to make a batch 🙂
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