Fresh Peach Butter

 

  So, I'm guessing you've heard of apple butter, but did you know you can make butter with other fruits as well? In this case, I'm not talking about regular BUTTER butter, but rather a fruit spread that is rich and velvety smooth, sort of a cousin to fruit jam. Actually, if we're being specific, jam is different because it has added pectin and pieces of crushed fruit in it. Fruit butter is thicker and more dense, has no added pectin, and is cooked down and pureed smooth. It's absolutely HEAVENLY. 

  Recently I had some fresh Jersey peaches that were ripe and sweet and PERFECT for making butter, and I thought, "Why don't I make this more often??" It's SO much easier to make than you might think, and it's so fresh, it tastes like summer in a jar. In fact I'm already planning to take a ride to make favorite produce stand so I can make more! Not even kidding. 

 So I hope you'll give it a try. I PROMISE you'll be glad that you did!

 

 

Fresh peaches

Sugar

Lemon juice

 

 

I usually peel my peaches, but you don't really need to. Just remove the pit and throw your sliced peaches into a pot with about a 1/2 cup of water. For every pound of peaches, add about 1/2 cup sugar. Add a few tablespoons of lemon juice. Place over medium heat and bring it up to boil. Use a potato masher to crush them up a bit. When the peaches are soft, use a hand blender to puree (or CAREFULLY ladle into a blender in batches). When it's completely smooth, reduce heat to just a simmer. You don't want a hard boil here, just a gentle 'bloop... bloop..." know what I mean? Let it simmer for about 30-45 minutes. Done!

 

Serving suggestions:

Use it as a spread on buttered toast and English muffins, or as a topping for pancakes, waffles, and French toast. It's also fabulous when added to yogurt and topped with granola. Or my favorite... swirl it into some home made vanilla bean ice cream for a perfect summer treat!!!

 

 

Tips:

I like to just keep it simple because I love the freshest peach flavor, but feel free to add spices like cinnamon or ginger. You can also add finely chopped crystallized ginger with the peaches and then puree as directed. 

For canning, use only yellow peaches, not white (white peaches have a different PH level, making them unsafe for canning) Ladle hot peach butter into hot jars, then process pints or half pints for 10 minutes in a water bath canner.