During summer school this summer, I had a lovely conversation with a group of first graders. We were talking about our favorite fruits. We all agreed that strawberries in June are delicious and eagerly anticipated summer peaches. Peaches that burst with flavor as you bite in, the skin giving way to the golden flesh so juicy that you have to lean over the sink while you eat them.

I ended the summer with a week at the Jersey Shore. Friends and I rented a house in Ocean Beach, NJ just up the road from Lavallette. It was August in New Jersey which meant the farm stands were filled with corn on the cob, all kinds of deep red Jersey tomatoes, and baskets of peaches. After a few days at the beach, I was a bit too crispy to sit outside during the afternoons so I decided to can some peaches.

That meant that I needed to visit the farm stands and find canning jars. Farm stands are easy to find. Canning jars required a bit of a search. I checked out the Acme grocery. No jars. I called the local hardware store. No jars. However, the man who answered the phone suggest that I try Ben Franklin. Ben Franklin in Lavalette, NJ is a treasure! Strolling the aisles with my tiny shopping cart, I chatted with an older woman who has been shopping there since the 1940s. We both expressed our love of Ben Franklin in particular and five and dime stores like this in general.

Whenever you can, you should visit an old time five and dime.

Here are the directions for canning from the National Center for Home Food Preservation. Key points include

Sterilize jars and new lids by boiling them in water or running them through a hot dishwasher cycle.

Select ripe yellow peaches. White peaches have different acidity and don’t preserve as well.

There are two methods for canning peaches. You can put them into the jar raw, top with syrup, and then boil the sealed jars or you can cook them slightly in the syrup before packing them into the jars. The second method, hot pack, also requires boiling the jars in a water bath. After researching, I decided to do the hot pack method. It supposedly tastes better.

I prepared a very light sugar syrup by using 6 1/2 cups of water and 3/4 cup of sugar. This was enough syrup for the amount of peaches I was canning. Check the website above for different amounts of peaches. Heat the water and sugar in a large sauce pan until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Prepare the peaches by dipping them in plain boiling water for 30-60 seconds and then in an ice bath. This helps the peel slip easily off. Then cut the peaches in quarters or eighths. Put your peaches in the large sauce pan with your simple syrup. Bring the syrup with the peaches in it to a boil and then put the peaches in your sterilized jars. Clean the jar openings and then close them up with lids and bands.

Place the jars is a large pot (at the beach I used the crab boiling pot I found in the kitchen) and cover with at least one inch of water and bring to a boil. Boil the jars for 25 minutes (at beach sea level!) then carefully remove the jars and let cool. After a while, you will hear the tell tale pop of the vacuum sealing on the jars. Store in a cool place until you are ready to enjoy your peaches. And remember summer at the shore!