Preserved Peaches
- Select the largest and nicest free stone peaches, fully grown but not mellow, pare, halve, or quarter them; crack the stones, take out and break the kernels; put parings and all into your preserving kettle, with a very little water; boil till tender; then take out and spread the peaches on a large dish to cool. Strain the liquor through a sieve or bag; next day, put to each pint of the liquor a pound of loaf sugar. Put the liquor and sugar, dissolved, into the kettle with the peaches, and boil them slowly till they are quite soft, skimming all the time; take the peaches out, put them into your jars, and turn the liquor over them warm. When cold, tie them up with clarified paper. If boiled too long, they will be of a dark color. To preserve peaches whole, thrust out the stones with a skewer, and put in their place, after done, the kernels blanched. Broad, shallow stone pots keep large fruit the best.
If the juice is not wished very thick, boil the sugar alone, with only sufficient water to dissolve it, and skim it well; then put in your fruit and juice, and boil till the fruit is completely penetrated with the sugar,