Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 00 minutes
Ingredients:
- 13 1/2 pounds (6 k) medium sized, blemish-free, ripe peaches
- 2 1/4 pounds (1 k) sugar
- 1 quart (1 l) spring water
- A 750 ml bottle of Moscato D'Asti (not Asti Spumante)
- The juice of 3 organically grown lemons
- 3/5 cup (150 ml) rum
- 10 leaves lemon balm (Melissa Officinalis), or 10 strips of lemon zest
Preparation:
Begin by making sure your jars are clean and dry.Next, the syrup: Put the lemon juice through a fine-mesh strainer to filter it and combine it, in a pot, with the spring water, wine, and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer it for about 10 minutes, then remove it from the fire, add the rum, and let it cool completely.
Bring another pot of water to a boil. Cut the peaches in half, pit them, and blanch the halves in the boiling water for a few seconds to loosen the skins, which you will want to remove and discard. Put the peach halves in the jars; if you prefer you can also cube the peach halves before putting them in the jars.
Fill the jars to the brim with the syrup, topping each off with a lemon balm leaf or a strip of lemon zest, and cover them tightly with the lids. Fill a large pot with cold water, set a rack into it, and put the jars on the rack; there should be at least 2 inches of water covering them. Bring the pot to a boil and simmer the jars for a half hour to sterilize the peaches. Let them cool in the water, dry them off, and store them in a cool dark place. They'll be ready in a month, and bring back a welcome remembrance of summer.
Yield: Several jars of peaches canned in Moscato wine.
