The local peach orchard in Ellington, CT. will finally open at Old Schoolhouse Rd. on August 10. 2014. Johnny Appleseeds will be open on the hill from 9 to 5. To check for picking conditions call 860-875-1000.So, I will be joining my cookbook group on Monday night at the Tolland Public Library, and our task for August is to test out some beverage recipes and bring our opinion on our experiment. My choice came from a cookbook I bought last year from Taste of Home. The recipe book, titled Smoothies and Blender Drinks has dozens of cooling recipes for hot summer days.
I decided to choose one recipe called Peach Navel, the non alcoholic version. One of the ingredients for the recipe calls for peach nectar, which is available in grocery stores, but I decided I wanted to make my own. So I took myself over to Johnny Appleseeds fruit and vegetable stand on Rt. 83 in Ellington. I was able to procure a great deal.
Choosing the right peaches for nectar comes down to softness and fragrance. You need softer peaches that have got a strong peach scent to make a really good nectar. Most stands will not sell these softer peaches, but as a consumer, if you ask, they usually will give you a really good price. They need to be used usually within 24 hours. Any longer, and they begin to get overripe.
Peach nectar is made from the first extraction of your peaches. Here is the technique, gathered from EHow.com. I did not use the boiling method they recommend. My peaches had very loose skins already, so I simply had to peel them off with my fingers. I occasionally had to use a potato peeler to get some of the peels, but generally the task took less time then waiting for the pot of water to boil.
PEACH NECTAR
Instructions
- 1
Select
peaches that are somewhat soft to the touch and have a fragrant smell. This
indicates ripeness. Very firm or hard peaches will not be ripe and will not
provide the sweetness needed for a good nectar. Green, or unripe peaches do not
process properly in the blender, and produce a bitter tasting nectar.
- 2
Boil
enough water in a stock
pot or sauce pan to be able to submerge the peaches. Dip each peach into the
boiling water until the skin begins to loosen. Remove from the boiling water
and place in ice cold water to stop the cooking process. Peel the peaches,
remove the pit and cut into slices.
- 3
Combine 2
cups sliced peaches and 1 cup water in a blender. Liquefy until smooth.
- 4
Strain the
liquefied peaches through a sieve. Store the nectar in a sealed jar or bottle
in the refrigerator until ready to use
This nectar will end up being somewhat thicker than what you would buy. Before you go crazy, save the sieved pulp of the peach in a separate bowl, and also save your peels. Save your peach pits as well, because I will give you recipes to use these scrapings so you waste absolutely nothing of your investment.
Now, here is the recipe for your Peach Navel.
How to Make Fresh Peach Nectar
189
Found This Helpful
Of
all the summer fruits, peaches are perhaps the most delectable. So
sweet, so juicy, they almost seem decadent. It isn't surprising hundreds
of recipes have been developed that spotlight their unique flavor. On
hot days, a glass of peach iced tea is the perfect thirst quencher;
peach Bellinis are the quintessential Italian summer cocktail; peach
brandy is a time honored tradition. Peach nectar is what gives these
drinks their signature summertime flavor. While canned nectar is
acceptable in many recipes, homemade peach nectar is the best way to get
that true, fresh taste. The best peach nectar begins with ripe, fresh
peaches.
Things You'll Need
- Fresh, ripe peaches
- Stock pot
- Water
Instructions
-
-
1
Select peaches that are somewhat soft to the touch and have a fragrant smell. This indicates ripeness. Very firm or hard peaches will not be ripe and will not provide the sweetness needed for a good nectar. Green, or unripe peaches do not process properly in the blender, and produce a bitter tasting nectar.
-
2
Boil enough water in a stock
pot or sauce pan to be able to submerge the peaches. Dip each peach into the boiling water until the skin begins to loosen. Remove from the boiling water and place in ice cold water to stop the cooking process. Peel the peaches, remove the pit and cut into slices.
-
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- 5 Foods you must not eat:
-
3
Combine 2 cups sliced peaches and 1 cup water in a blender. Liquefy until smooth.
-
4
Strain the liquefied peaches through a sieve. Store the nectar in a sealed jar or bottle in the refrigerator until ready to use.
-
1
Read more : http://www.ehow.com/how_5287254_make-fresh-peach-nectar.html
Instructions
-
-
1
Select peaches that are somewhat soft to the touch and have a fragrant smell. This indicates ripeness. Very firm or hard peaches will not be ripe and will not provide the sweetness needed for a good nectar. Green, or unripe peaches do not process properly in the blender, and produce a bitter tasting nectar.
-
2
Boil enough water in a stock
-
Sponsored Links
- 5 Foods you must not eat: Cut down a bit of stomach fat every day by never eating banana, corn…trimdownclub.com
- 5 Foods you must not eat:
-
3
Combine 2 cups sliced peaches and 1 cup water in a blender. Liquefy until smooth.
-
4
Strain the liquefied peaches through a sieve. Store the nectar in a sealed jar or bottle in the refrigerator until ready to use
-
1
Read more : http://www.ehow.com/how_5287254_make-fresh-peach-nectar.html
How to Make Fresh Peach Nectar
189
Found This Helpful
Of
all the summer fruits, peaches are perhaps the most delectable. So
sweet, so juicy, they almost seem decadent. It isn't surprising hundreds
of recipes have been developed that spotlight their unique flavor. On
hot days, a glass of peach iced tea is the perfect thirst quencher;
peach Bellinis are the quintessential Italian summer cocktail; peach
brandy is a time honored tradition. Peach nectar is what gives these
drinks their signature summertime flavor. While canned nectar is
acceptable in many recipes, homemade peach nectar is the best way to get
that true, fresh taste. The best peach nectar begins with ripe, fresh
peaches.
Things You'll Need
- Fresh, ripe peaches
- Stock pot
- Water
Instructions
-
-
1
Select peaches that are somewhat soft to the touch and have a fragrant smell. This indicates ripeness. Very firm or hard peaches will not be ripe and will not provide the sweetness needed for a good nectar. Green, or unripe peaches do not process properly in the blender, and produce a bitter tasting nectar.
-
2
Boil enough water in a stock
-
Sponsored Links
- 5 Foods you must not eat: Cut down a bit of stomach fat every day by never eating banana, corn…trimdownclub.com
- 5 Foods you must not eat:
-
3
Combine 2 cups sliced peaches and 1 cup water in a blender. Liquefy until smooth.
-
4
Strain the liquefied peaches through a sieve. Store the nectar in a sealed jar or bottle in the refrigerator until ready to use.
-
1
Read more : http://www.ehow.com/how_5287254_make-fresh-peach-nectar.html
PEACHY NAVEL
2/3 cup orange juice
1/2 cup peach nectar
1 tblsp. thawed lemonade concentrate
1/3 cup club soda
Garnish:
Orange slice and twist of peel.
In a highball glass, combine the orange juice, peach nectar and lemonade concentrate. Stir in club soda. Garnish as desire.
note: You may add 2 ounces vodka for an alcoholic version.
I made 4 cups of nectar from about 18 peaches. I had 4 peeled peaches left that I didn't use. So on my counter I had a bowl of peelings, about a cup of pulp, and 18 peach pits. I wasn't done yet, so wondered how I could use up the pulp and the 4 peeled peaches.
I covered the peels and pits and set them aside. I would look at them later. For now, I hated to let that thick peach pulp go to waste. I wondered if I could do a quick peach butter. So here is what I did.
LEFTOVER CHUNKY PULP PEACH BUTTER
Ingredients:
1 cup peach pulp
1 cup sugar
4 peeled and chunked peaches
Directions:
Mix pulp with sugar. Bring to boil over medium high heat in a stainless pot. Add peach chunks and boil for about 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Mash up the peach pieces to make them fairly small, and continue to cook over medium high heat for about 1/2 hour. You need to stir your mixture the entire time. The more you stir, the smoother the butter.
You want to reduce your mixture to about half. It should become darker and very thick.
Spoon the mixture into a hot sterilized 1 cup jar, seal with canning lid, and process in boiling water for about 5 minutes. I did not bother processing the butter because I only had one jar. It will simply be kept in the refrigerator. It should be good for about 6 months.
This is a very rich butter. You only need 1 tsp per serving. It should spread easily and the taste is so strong and sweet that any more than a tsp will be too sweet for some. Of course, this gourmet flavored peach butter, with tiny chunks of peach won't last for more than a few days, it is soooo good.
So that leaves us with peels and pits. On the previous post, I showed a link for peach honey. Peach honey is made by simmering the peels in water, then letting them stand overnight. You then remove the juice, add sugar to it, and cook it until it is very thick. The recipe can be found on Pick Your Own.com.
On my search, I found another recipe that uses peels and pits to make a jelly from. Back when our parents and grandparents were children, it was common to make jelly from peels and pits. Nothing was wasted if it could be eaten or used. In our modern age, we have lost our sense of using everything that we buy. All of us are guilty of throwing away what we consider the non usable parts. Well, with a view of looking back and reviving these heirloom recipes, I will take advantage of my discovery and share what I found.
This next recipe came from Cooks.com. Here is the link: http://www.cooks.com/recipe/5q3r87kx/peach-peel-and-pit-jelly.html
Peach Peel & Pit Jelly
 | |
4 qts. peach peels and pits
1 pkg. powdered pectin 3 c. sugar
A word of caution. Do not use any broken pits. The best peach for this recipe is a cling variety such as Red Haven.
1 package powdered pectin and 3 cups sugar to each 3 cups juice.Save
peels and pits of peaches when canning. Barely cover them with water in
a large kettle. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Let stand
overnight.
Strain juice through cheesecloth. Measure 3 cups juice into a large pan. Add 1 package pectin. Bring to vigorous boil. Add 3 cups sugar and boil rapidly until it reaches "sheeting off" jelly test, 220 degrees. Skim off foam. Pour into hot jelly jars and seal.
Cooking Tip; Don't squeeze the juice out of the cheesecloth bag. Once you have strained the bulk of the juice, get another bowl and hang the cheesecloth bag over it. Let it continue to drip for an additional 8 hours. This will give you about another cup of very peachy juice. It is okay if you don't make jelly right away. Keep juice in closed container but use within a day after your final straining.
Tomorrow I will be picking a large amount of freestone peaches. The freestone kind allow you to quickly remove the peach from the pit, because it isn't really attached. I have heard that this kind of peach, though easy to work with for canning peach slices, isn't as sweet as the stoned variety. Since the peaches will be floating in a medium syrup, I can probably not feel guilty about picking the freestone kind. It will make my life a bit easier as I try to put up about 8 quarts of canned peaches.
August 17' 2014
I have made my first batch of this jelly, and it is absolutely delicious. I will be picking more peaches this week and look forward to making this recipe again, it will make excellent Christmas gifts as well as work well in Thumbprint cookies or in peach filled danish. Watch the blog for winter recipes that use the jelly for more than just a spread on toast.
Happy picking. Next is apples. | |
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