Spiced Peaches — Summer Preserved Against the January Dark

The kitchen is in full winter mode. The oven at 375 (always 375), the crockpot on the counter, the pantry stocked with jars from last August's canning — the evidence of a woman who preserves summer against winter and loss against forgetting and food against everything.

Thursday was tater tot hotdish, because Thursday is always tater tot hotdish and the schedule doesn't change for anything — not pandemics, not loss, not the passage of years. The tater tots go in at 375 and come out golden and the family eats them and the eating is the Thursday and the Thursday is the structure and the structure holds. But I also made chili three ways earlier this week, because the kitchen doesn't only look backward. The kitchen grows.

January. The real winter. Dark and cold, the wind off the prairie personal in its grudge. We endure with soup and blankets and the belief that spring comes eventually. I made bread — sourdough from the starter named Marlene, the bread rising in a warm kitchen while Iowa does its worst outside.

Those jars on the pantry shelf didn’t put themselves there — they came out of a August afternoon that smelled like sugar and steam and purpose, the same kind of purposeful that gets you through January. Spiced peaches were among the first things I ever learned to put up, and they remain the jar I reach for when winter goes mean and the sourdough is rising and I need something on the table that tastes like I planned ahead, like I knew this cold was coming and I was ready for it. Here’s how I make them, for the shelf and for the season ahead.

Spiced Peaches

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 50 minutes | Servings: Makes about 4 pint jars (roughly 16 half-cup servings)

Ingredients

• 4 pounds fresh peaches (about 12 medium), ripe but firm
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 1 teaspoon whole cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon whole allspice berries
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Sterilize jars. Wash 4 pint canning jars, lids, and bands in hot soapy water. Keep jars warm in a low oven (200°F) or in a pot of simmering water until ready to fill. Prepare a boiling water bath canner and bring water to a full boil.
2. Peel the peaches. Score a shallow X in the bottom of each peach. Blanch in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds, then transfer immediately to an ice bath. Once cool enough to handle, slip off the skins, halve the peaches, and remove the pits.
3. Make the spiced brine. Combine sugar, apple cider vinegar, water, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, and salt in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.
4. Simmer the peaches. Add peach halves to the simmering brine in batches. Cook gently 3 to 4 minutes, just until peaches begin to soften slightly. Do not overcook — they will continue softening in the jar.
5. Pack the jars. Place one cinnamon stick into each warm jar. Using a slotted spoon, pack peach halves snugly into jars, cavity-side down, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Ladle hot brine over peaches, maintaining 1/2 inch headspace. Run a thin spatula around the inside of each jar to release any air bubbles.
6. Seal and process. Wipe jar rims clean with a damp cloth. Apply lids and bands fingertip-tight. Process in the boiling water bath for 20 minutes, adjusting for altitude as needed. Remove jars and let cool undisturbed on a towel for 12 to 24 hours. Check seals before storing.
7. Store. Sealed jars keep in a cool, dark pantry for up to one year. Refrigerate after opening and use within two weeks.

Nutrition (per serving, approximately 1/2 cup)

Calories: 118 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0g | Carbs: 30g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 38mg