I can remember as a child biting into a fresh ripe peach, letting the juice dribble down my chin and thinking life just doesn’t get better than this. As an adult my opinion hasn’t changed. I LOVE fresh, the problem with fresh peaches is that they are only in season for a little while. Thank goodness that they can be preserved by canning! This week my sister and I canned fresh peaches without using sugar and I wanted to share my recipe with you.
Growing up my mom was quite the canner. Working all day making peaches, pickles, tomatoes, grape juice, applesauce. She was always hot and tired by the time she was done. I suppose as a child I never appreciated all the work that went into the whole process. As an adult the thought of standing in my kitchen all day carvin’ up peaches just didn’t sound appealing. Let’s just say it took me many years as a mother myself to get the desire to can. But eventually I missed the flavor of homemade peaches, pears and applesauce so I knew I had to try.
My sister came to visit me this past week and we decided we would can peaches together. All I can say is that it is SO much better to can with someone. Especially someone who makes you giggle and laugh all the way through the process. We both had to fight the urge to eat them all up too…one for the canning jar, one for me. Two for the canning jar… ahem.
As I am starting on a more real foods lifestyle I wanted my recipe to be without white sugar. I loved the idea of using honey instead, since someday I dream of having my own beehive. We picked, peeled and canned the peaches together. Then we opened up a jar to try them out. They were wonderful!!
Perfecto! Glorious even.
Here is how to preserve peaches without sugar.
Supplies needed:
- Jars, lids and rings
- Canner, tongs, canning jar holder, pots
- Cutting Board, paring knife
- Large bowl, colander
- Ice
- measuring cups & teaspoons
- Peaches – use freestone peaches – they make canning easy! The pits come right out. I used Elberta peaches this year.
- Lemon Juice
- Honey
- water
You want to start with some fresh ripe peaches. We went down to our local u-pick orchard and picked 95 lb. of peaches!! We paid $0.70 per lb. I think it will be great when I have my own farm to grow a few peach trees so I will save money.
It was so fun picking peaches, we took our kids and had a blast. There were a few peaches we picked that were ripe and ready to eat but the majority of them had to wait a few days. I took a twin sized sheet and laid out each peach individually. If left in the boxes they will bruise more.
It took two days and then most of the peaches were ripe. You don’t want them to be too soft or too hard. Gently press them and if they slightly give they are ready.
Once you are ready to begin, get your stations ready. First step is to sterilize your jars and lids.
I ran my jars through the sterilize option on my dishwasher. If you don’t have a dishwasher just clean them with hot soapy water as best you can. You want your jars to be really clean to avoid any bacteria that might get in.
Also add your lids and rings to a pot and simmer until ready to use.
Peel your peaches either using the water bath method or with a peeler. I used the water bath method which is this. Get a pot of boiling water going. Have a bowl of ice water ready for cooling. Gently add in a few peaches, and then leave for 30 seconds in the boiling water. Quickly remove to the ice water to cool for one minute.
Then if the peaches are ripe the skins should just peel off super easily.
Then take your peaches, slice it in half and remove the pits.
I removed the little bit of red next to the pit…and sliced my peaches into 1/4 inch slices.
Then add them to the jar.I always stuff as many peaches as I can get in there until I get to the threads of the jar top.
To the jars: Add first one teaspoon of lemon juice to preserve color.
Then in a separate bowl you take 7 cups of warm water and mix in 1/3 cup of honey. I love this picture. It’s artsy-fartsy.
Pour the honey water combo into your jars leaving about 1/2 inch of headroom. I would also jiggle the jar to release any pockets of air.
Next add the lids and rings to the top of the jars. You can use a fork to get the lids out of the simmering water or one of those cool canning magnets. Don’t screw on the rings too tight. Place the jars into your canner and make sure there is 1 inch of water above the tops of the jars. Once the water is boiling boil your jars for 15-20 minutes. The canning manuals will tell you to cook them for 20-25 minutes but I choose to do it for 15 minutes.
After the time is up remove the jars on a towel to cool. Make sure to not have the jars touch each other. And do not touch them or mess with them as this can mess up the processing as well. The lids will “pop” as they cool. I love hearing that sound…
If for some reason once they are all cool you have a jar that didn’t pop, that means it didn’t seal right. So you can go ahead and eat right away or save in your refrigerator for up to a week or two.
Canned Peaches without Sugar
Ingredients
- 20 lbs Peaches – freestone
- 10 tsp Lemon Juice
- 1/3 cup Honey
- 7 cups water
Instructions
- Sterilize your jars and lids. If you don't have a dishwasher just clean them with hot soapy water as best you can. You want your jars to be really clean to avoid any bacteria that might get in.
- Add your lids and rings to a small pot and simmer on low until ready to use.
- Start your large canning pot to boil. If it boils too quickly you can turn it to low until you're ready to add your canning jars to it.
- Peel your peaches either using the water bath method or with a peeler. For water bath: Get a pot of boiling water going. Have a bowl of ice water ready for cooling. Gently add in a few peaches, and then leave for 30 seconds in the boiling water. Quickly remove to the ice water to cool for one minute. The skins should peel off super easily
- Then take your peaches, slice in half and remove the pits. Note: I prefer to remove the little bit of red next to the pit and slice my peaches into 1/4 inch slices
- Then add the peaches to the jars. Stuff as many peaches as you can get in there until your peaches reach just below the rings of the jars.
- Add one teaspoon of lemon juice to each jar to preserve color.
- Then in a separate bowl take 7 cups of warm water and mix in 1/3 cup of honey. Mix until combined.
- Pour the honey water into your jars leaving about 1/2 inch of headroom. I would also jiggle the jar to release any pockets of air or use a canning tool to remove air.
- Next add the lids and rings to the top of the jars. You can use a fork to get the lids out of the simmering water or one of those cool canning magnets. Note: Don't screw on the rings too tight!
- Place the jars into your canner and make sure there is 1 inch of water above the tops of the jars. Once the water is boiling, boil your jars for 15-20 minutes. The canning manuals will tell you to cook them for 20-25 minutes but I choose to do it for 15 minutes.
- After the time is up remove the jars, sitting them upright onto to a towel to cool. Make sure to not have the jars touch each other. And do not touch them or mess with them as this can mess up the processing as well. The lids will "pop" as they cool. I love hearing that sound…it's the best!
- If for some reason once they are all cool you have a jar that didn’t pop, that means it didn’t seal right. So you can go ahead and eat right away or save in your refrigerator for up to a week or two.
Nutrition
Loved this recipe?
Make sure to follow on Instagram @happymoneysaver and on Pinterest @happymoneysaver for more money savin’ recipes!
After you are all done canning your peaches, consider doing a happy thought by sharing a finished jar with a friend saying “I love you to Peaches”. Who wouldn’t love that?
Questions? Comments? What are you canning this year? Do you have any tips to share?
About Karrie
Food is my love language. But so is saving money. So I like to combine the two a lot and make thrifty make ahead and freeze meals to save time. Because life is busy, and freezer meals can come to the rescue for all of us. And yes, they actually CAN taste good. Read more...
Comments & Reviews
cindy says
Can I do this recipe with out the honey?
Happy.MoneySaver says
I have heard that some substitute apple juice for the honey and it works well! If you try something different let me know how it goes.
Sherry says
Can this recipe be used to can nectarines?
Happy.MoneySaver says
I haven’t ever tried it but I don’t see why not!
Sherry says
Awesome, I am getting a lot of Washington nectarines from the Fruit Club we have in our area, and I am going to use this recipe. Thanks!!
Robin says
I am thinking of doing this with some of my peaches this year, as I am nearly out of freezer space. How did they last over the last year? Could you tell a quality difference between peaches that were just canned and ones that were several months old?
Happy.MoneySaver says
I couldn’t tell the difference between the just canned peaches and the ones that had been sitting for a couple months. My family gobbled them up so I don’t think they could tell the difference either! 🙂
monica says
would you say this method would work for preserving other fruits as well. i have several apple trees in my yard and would like to learn preserve methods for later use.
Happy.MoneySaver says
I haven’t tried it on other fruits. Try it out and let me know what you think!
Jenn says
I haven’t canned peaches before and want to try since my parents have 3 peach trees in their yard. I read your post and was intrigued. Small question, how many jars did the 95 lbs produce for you? Assuming they were all quart jars.
Jackie says
So happy to have found you on Pinterest. I’ve just started canning again after 30 years…I have done potatoes, yellow squash & tomato chutney so far…peaches were next on my list! Thanks for the great recipe – I’m gonna try it with my canning-friend.
Nina says
We had the adventure of having a diabetic son. Instead of the sugar syrup, I found if you reconstitute frozen orange juice, you can use it. Just warm it up and pour it over the peaches. I have also used canned pineapple juice. Because of the citric acid the fruit doesn’t turn dark.
Happy.MoneySaver says
Great idea..thanks for sharing!
megan says
Have you tried any other summer fruits besides peaches? I found a great deal on raspberries and am going to attempt to throw a few in with the peach slices and see how they do…..
I love your site by the way, i stumbled upon it and i wish i had more space or i would have chickens and a larger garden …. but living in a texas apartment has its limits. lol
Barb says
They look so good! I am wondering about one thing though? Is 15 minutes in a water bath long enough to kill the “infant botulism” found in honey? I would be a little worried about serving these to anyone under 2.
Alisa says
Okay, most people seem to not understand what sugar is and what all of it’s sources are, so naturally, I have to educate everyone on this. What we call “sugar” or “granulated sugar” is a disaccharide (meaning it has 2 monomers, or subunits) called sucrose. Those 2 monomers that bond together to form sucrose are called glucose and fructose. Honey, is also a sugar!!! Gasp, with hand over mouth! It just has other things in it like water, pollens, and enzymes. It is the ratio of those other things (and the sources that the bee got the pollen from) that give honey its flavor. The sugar in honey (it’s what makes honey sweet by the way) is also a disaccharide. This disaccharide is also made of glucose and fructose bonded together!! Yes yes! It is the same sugar, but with other stuff with it!! Also, I want to add that the monosaccaride fructose is the sugar that is found ABUNDANTLY in sweet fruits, including apples and grapes. That is why diabetics need to AVOID JUICES, unless they are type 1 and they need to get their blood sugar back up quickly. But they still don’t need very much (probably no more than an ounce). Yes, this is true. (If a diabetic does not understand this, he/she needs counseling from a dietician). There are many different types of sugars. To name a few more there is ribose, maltose (that is added to ice cream to make malt milkshakes, hence the name malt milkshakes) and lactose (the not sweet sugar found in cows milk, which is also a disaccharide [glucose and galactose bonded together]). Notice they all end in -ose. So, to conclude this tiny biochemistry/nutrition lesson, this is NOT a sugar free peach canning recipe. I just don’t want anybody (especially diabetics) to hold Karrie liable for any adverse health affects they may experience from using this recipe. She doesn’t need any legal fees. If you want or need a sugar free canning recipe, I would do a search for canning recipes with Stevia, as Stevia is a sugar substitute with 0 calories found from a plant that has not been found to have any adverse health affects (like aspartame has).
Karrie says
Thank you Alisa, yes honey is still a sweetener…and I wasn’t implying this recipe was safe for diabetics, just white refined sugar free. I am trying to get away from refined sugars and products lately as are a lot of folks I have heard. I love the idea of doing a more natural pure sweetener…and I would even consider raw sugar as well. Thanks for your comment.
Carol Burkes says
Consider Monk fruit also. It is sold under the name Nectresse in most stores. Orange label. It is granulated, sweet, fruit based. Like Stivia, a natural sweetener, -0- calories.
Gail says
Alisa, You sure hit the nail on the head. My doctor told me, as I am a Type II Diabetic, not to drink Apple Juice or Grape Juice. They have a very high natural sugar content, especially Apple Juice. I am supposed to drink a glass of orange juice if my sugar drops.
This is a great website and I am going to try the honey. Thanks for all the great advice. Love to can!!
D. J. Mitchell says
Also of concern to diabetics is the glycemic index of the sugar, which is how fast it absorbs into the bloodstream. The faster it absorbs, the greater the effect on blood sugar. One the GI scale, glucose (the scale standard) is rated at 100. Table sugar (sucrose) comes in at 68, and honey at 50-55. Maple syrup rates 54, and cane syrup at 43. Orange juice rates at 50, and apple juice at 44. Lower on the GI index are coconut sugar (jaggery or kithul) at 35, brown rice syrup at 25, fructose at 25, and agave at 15.
Stevia, of course, rates at zero, but tends to add a bitter flavor. I like combining half stevia with half coconut sugar or fructose for better flavor and lower GI.
Here’s a link to one GI chart of sweeteners: http://www.sugar-and-sweetener-guide.com/glycemic-index-for-sweeteners.html
Angie says
I did a search for a diabetic recipe for canning peaches and this came up. I agree with you. This is not a diabetic recipe. My son is type 1 and his blood sugar would spike like crazy if I gave him canned peaches soaked in honey or juice. Stevia doesn’t seem to work either. Hoping I will find a low carbohydrate recipe soon.
Melissa says
Your pictures are beautiful! I’ve been canning for seventeen years and peaches are by far my favorite. Having taken the Master Food Preserver program through the WSU extension office, I learned how very important it is to follow the exact recommended times. The times have been tested & proven to stop spoilage and food born illness. Sealed jars are not full indication of safety. Thirty minutes is the recommended time for quarts of peaches in the boiling water bath canner.
Karrie says
Thanks so much for your compliment… and yes it is best to boil them a nice long time for best safety. When in doubt – read your manuals!
Mary Howe says
Is your stove a glass top. Everyone keeps telling me I’m going to break mine if I can on it. So far I have only used a steam canner on it. You had any problems?
Linda Case says
I was wondering the same thing when I saw the photo with the traditional blue canner. I thought the bottom had to be flat. The best fix I have found after looking into this is to buy a stainless steel canner. I don’t have a pressure cooker, but are these ok for canning on a ceramic top stove? I have just returned to gardening, canning and preserving after over 30 years. I did 2 types of pickles, and beets that are either cold pack (Duris farms recipe) or refrigerator type because I thought I couldn’t use a traditional canner on the ceramic top. BTW, I just found your blog today too. I am going to enjoy it!
Karrie says
So glad to have you join with me on my adventures Linda!
Connie says
There is a small canning system that uses a silicone basket. It only does
3 jars at a time but you don’t need such a huge kettle. I also bought a
free standing electric burner that I set on a small table. I bring water to a boil
in a 2-3 quart saucepan, pour that in the canning kettle and repeat until it’s
full. It might take a little longer doing small batches but I’ve found it works
well and what’s another hour once you’ve got the mess anyway! One other
trick I use is to put the clean hot jars in a metal cake pan in a 225 oven while
I’m getting everything else ready. Keep the jars hot and out of the way until
I need them.
Debbie Casey says
I have used my pressure canner and hot water bath canner on my ceramic top stove with no problems. This is my second ceramic top stove and both have handled canning quite well. I do pickles, green beans, tomatoes, jellies, relish, preserves, beets, and everything else I can get my hands on during canning season. There are often two canners going at once. So, I wouldn’t worry about your smooth top stove as long as you don’t drop anything heavy onto it.
lachmun says
Eventually it will break it because the heat can’t circulate like it can with the other stove.
Debbie Casey says
I tend to disagree. I reared four children and we canned every year in order to make our garden produce last all year. Our smoothtop ranges worked perfectly. The only reason I bought a new one is because we redid our kitchen and donated the old one. The new one matched the other new appliances. Neither stove ever gave me any problems while canning, or any other time, for that matter.
Julie Sinshack says
I canned for 20 years on my old smoothtop stove, using a traditional blue enamel canner, and I never had a problem.
I think the idea that the pot must be flat-bottomed is from the induction stovetops. Induction heating requires maximum contact between the pot and the stove to efficiently heat the contents.
Karrie says
I know, I have heard the warnings as well. Folks say that the weight could break the glass. I was able to can 40+ jars with it and it didn’t break, so I am going with it. But I can’t say for sure if it will work on your stove too..I just took a risk I suppose. I need a new stove anyways…wonder what the best one is for canning? Gas?
Patty says
I have been making jam and marmalade in a large cannery on my glass top stove for 10 years. I make about 7-10 batches a year, and my stovetop is still fine. I also have a large stockpot I use on it.
Thanks for the canned peaches instructions! I’m going to try it out tomorrow.
Jada says
I have actually used my burner on gas grill. It keeps the heat out of the kitchen. I have done this for years without any problems. Just make sure you have a full tank of gas. Happy canning
Julie Sinshack says
I switched to a gas stovetop after using smoothtops for over 30 years, because I couldn’t get a 36″ smoothtop with a grill. I really, really miss my smoothtop, especially when canning! I spend almost as much time cleaning the gas burners as I do preparing the fruit.
Krista says
I know this is an older thread, but there’s always someone out there looking for the info. I’ve canned for several years with a water bath on a flat top stove without issues. Last year alone, approximately 300 jars went through my canner between jams & butters to tomatoes and anything tomato related without ever a problem with my stove. This year I’ll be doing peaches too and I’m looking forward to skipping the sugar! I saw on another forum where someone used a combo of apple and pineapple juice I’m going to have to try as well 🙂
Tara says
I have a glass top and I can ever year on it… (6 years) now It is still going strong.
Average year of canning..
40 to 80 Pints/Quarts of green beans
20/40 pints of peaches
80 to 100 pints/ quarts of apple sauce
20 Quarts of apple pie filling
40 pints tomatoes
40 pints of salsa
I always use a pressure canner, I haven’t ever used a hot water bath for canning since I didn’t grow up using the hot water bath. I have little ones so I think my stove gets to cool pretty well between uses to not sure if that has anything to do with it hope it helps! (My canner says don’t use on glass top, I wasn’t going to go out and buy a new stove for canning)
Pam says
I did crack mine with my big pressure canner. Got rid of that stove!
Sara @ Mama Sara's Stuff says
Have you ever thought about canning with apple juice instead of honey? This way you can steer clear of any sweeteners. I am a diabetic and do all of my fruit this way and comes out wonderful. I have friends with apple trees and am able to do my own apple juice every year so it works out perfectly.
Karrie says
Oooh…apple juice would be awesome! I was also thinking orange juice instead of lemon would be great to try next time.
sharon carter says
Wouldn’t recommend if you’re watching calories .. all juices are calorie loaded.
mary says
One step that is a no brainer for experienced canners (and that we forget just as often,lol)-wipe the jar rims after putting everything in and before putting the lids on. Anything other than water on the rims between the glass and rubber on the lids will prevent a seal.
Another tip that I have used is to put the jars upside down when they are taken out. It seems to help them seal. But not everyone does this, and all seem to do fine.
Wish I had time to can, but work comes first now.
Melissa says
We love bottled peaches, too! With all the changes in food over the past 20-30 years, our processing has changed, too. Just curious if this method has been proven over time…Our local university helps out a lot in knowing how to safely preserve food. I LOVE the idea of not using processed sugar, but I’m a little wary for the result in the long run…would like to know more 🙂 Love your blog!! I hope you keep it up.
Karrie says
Sorry Melissa, nope this hasn’t been proven over time..first time trying it out. But I have heard from many people that honey works great with canning long term.
Helena Wolfe says
Adding a sweetener is for taste and texture, not for food safety. For research-based canning and other food preservation recommendations, go to the National Center for Home Food Preservation. http://nchfp.uga.edu/
KCK says
Sugar is a preservative. Honey is probably the BEST preservative as it is anti-bacterial among other things. When you can find honey in an Egyptian tomb and it still be good to eat, you know you have something there. BUT, it must be raw, unfiltered honey. Not processed honey flavored syrup.
Sally says
Once you have boiled it raw honey loses all it medicinal properties. All that lovely goodness gone, but still a better sweetener than processed sugar or processed honey. Beware of where you buy honey. it only needs to be 5% real to be labeled “pure”. That is why we need truth in labeling. The honey industry is very corrupt. If your honey doesn’t crystalize, it isn’t pure honey. Pure Raw honey has no known shelf life until it’s contaminated.
Julie Krantz says
The honey industry is not corrupt – it’s the honey that comes from China and other unregulated countries brought into this country!
Sherrie says
Another idea that I did last year was to can the peaches in 100% white grape juice. It works and tastes awesome. My kids never knew any difference at all. Thanks for sharing all your hard work!
Maija says
White grape juice! What a fabulous idea! Thanks.
cindy says
Why would you cut out the red near the pit? Extra work and loss of color. Just curious.
Kathleen says
Hi, how many peaches fit in one wide-mouth quart jar (like the ones pictured) – I have 12 jars so wondering how many pounds of peaches I should buy, thanks!
Priscilla says
Allow 2 – 3 lbs of peaches to fill one quart jar. Good luck!
kate says
It’s hard and gravely (pieces of the pit), and awful to bite down on. In my opinion.
Edward Sparks says
The red strings become coarse and unpleasant in the final spread.
Heather says
Love this recipe idea with using honey! Thank you! We just got home this weekend at 37cents/lb, so I am thrilled to find this as we are working to cut more sugar from our diets!
Julie Sinshac says
Honey and juice are still sugars, and there are a lot of hidden calories in both. Check the labels – the “all natural” pear juice I currently have in the pantry has 28 grams of sugar per 1 cup serving. It also has added sugar, so using juice does not guarantee that your canned fruit does not contain white sugar.
Remember, too, that the reason we all like peaches is that they are sweet! One medium peach, all by itself, has 13 grams of sugar!
The main differences are that fruit-based sweeteners have a higher percentage of fructose than sucrose, and fructose does not raise blood sugar as high as sucrose does for many diabetics, and fructose tastes sweeter, so you will use less fructose than sucrose. But 28 grams of sugars from honey or juice have exactly the same calories as 28 grams from white sugar.
Jackie S says
Can I use Swerve granulated sugar substitute instead of honey?
Also, how’s about using a pressure cooker?
Sheila says
I have heard that artificial sweeteners change taste when heated that high. You can use any lidded pot that is large enough to allow you to cover your jars with water by at least an inch. I am pretty sure that you may can fruit with no added sweetener at all, it just means they won’t last quite as long on the shelf (sugar is a preservative). You may can in a pressure canner (not cooker), but fruit is high acid and doesn’t need to be. Invest in a canning book – it will answer a great deal of safety questions such as how to can, how long to can so internal temperature is properly reached for long enough to kill bacteria, what the proper pressure or time is for your altitude, why some things can’t be canned, how flavours work. It’s worth the $20 so no one gets sick.
Maria says
Thank you for this post. 🙂 I really like (and appreciate) all the pics and step by step directions. I just found your blog today and I think it’s great! Very inspiring and fun to read! God bless! 🙂
Cathy says
Love canning…never had any trouble until recently…loss of liquid in my jars and
the fruit turns brownish where it is exposed to the air. Everything always seals but,
do not know what I am doing wrong to lose the liquid like that. Any ideas?
Melissa says
Liquid loss is usually due to boiling too hard in the boiling water bath canner. The water should be boiling, but not a hard boil. Also, using ascorbic acid (vit c) powder (found @ the health food store) helps prevent browning (1/4 tsp./ qt. jar).
Karrie says
Also in this recipe the lemon juice helps with browning..I haven’t had any problems with it yet. 🙂
Tina Harrington says
Improper headspace is usually responsible for siphoning of liquid out of the jars. If you don’t use a chopstick, or thin spatula and release the air bubbles after adding your liquid, it will siphon also. When you begin canning, it’s a good idea to keep a cheap plastic ruler handy to check your headspace.
I want to stress, you should always use the proper process times. It will be an unsafe product if you only process fifteen minutes for a quart of peaches. For my high altitude, I need to process thirty minutes.
Boiling is boiling, you can’t boil your canner too hard, but you can fail to have that water hot enough. Always boil your canner on high heat.
dori timmer says
You speak of high altitude and the time to process the peaches….. So how many minutes do I process for low altitude…… thank you
Miriam says
Here’s a chart for you!
http://www.simplycanning.com/altitude-adjustments.html
Carol Burkes says
Liquid loss can also be due to the lid not tightly screwed down. Be sure it is finger tight. Another solution, prior to ring and seal, wipe down I’m of jar with damp cloth or paper towel. This wets the rim, clears off any lingering spices, crystals, grains, etc. making a better seal.
Ann says
Is there any way to just print off the recipe to have without all the step by step picture directions>
I would like to add it to my recipe box but I don’t see where I can print it off without all the extra verbage and pictures….
Help
Happy.MoneySaver says
Most of the time I have a recipe box where you can just print the instructions but not on this one! Sorry! I would suggest copying into word and then deleting the pictures for the recipe! Hope that helps!
Lucia says
I just got done doing a copy & paste from this website into a Word document. I only copied the words without the pictures. Works great!