One of my summer delights is canning/preserving for winter yumminess (and gifts for special people!).  Since this is my blog, I’m going to show you how I do it. (The recipe will be at the end.)

First, start with a variety of stone fruit — this year I had peaches, nectarines, and plums.

I like to peel the fruit. this is partially to eliminate any pesticides or contaminants, but also becuase the skin can be pretty tough. To do this, I drop the fruit into the canning water (which is simmering) for about two minutes. I fish them out. I use a paper towel for a better grip, and slide the peel right off.

Soon my ingredients look like this.

I chop the fruit and drop it into a big skillet. Then I add the vinegar. The heat goes to medium and I start to cook it down.

Isn’t it colorful? Once its cooked for a bit, I add the spices.

From here it’s just a matter of cooking the fruit down. You can tell when its getting close to being done, the fruit starts to disintegrate and make a thick sauce.

From here, it’s just basic canning.

Glorious!

Recipe is here.