The peaches are processed! And it only took just shy of three days. On Saturday alone we canned the equivalent of 8 gallons of peaches and 3 gallons of blackberries. The 3-day peach total was closer to 14 gallons. It turned out to be easier than I was expecting because we hardly used our little two-burner camp stove at all. Joe rigged us up a makeshift, wood cookstove (pictured below), and we were easily able to keep two canners going at all times. The outdoor kitchen is really starting to prove its worth!
We did can a lot of jam, but most of the peaches ended up being canned as what we call "peach mash". It's the chunkier, non-food processed version of peach puree. We are hoping it will prove to be a highly versatile addition to baked goods, pies, cobblers, pancakes - especially since we have gallons of it now!
Late in the day on Saturday, I must confess I had a brief, but intense, emotional meltdown precipitated by what appeared to be the failure of the marmalade to achieve a proper gel (after cooling all night, I am happy to say it achieve a perfect consistency and tastes marvelous, I must say). In my defense, I had worked long days on both Thursday and Friday only to come home and can peaches until a headlamp was necessary to finish the job, so I may have been suffering from exhaustion. Joe, of course, never lost his sunny enthusiasm for peaches and canning the entire time. He has even requested a peach cobbler for his birthday tomorrow.
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