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Peaches in a Jar

1. When you buy your peaches, lay them out on newspaper to ripen (lay them on their sides or bottom, not on the stem end).
2. Make sure you have enough ripe (soft to the touch) peaches to fill seven jars (a canner full). This is about half a box (12 pounds).
3. Put your canner on the stove half full of water and heat it up.
4. Find seven jars and wash them and put them in the oven at 250 degrees.
5. Find seven lids and rings. Put the lids in a small pot with an inch of water. Bring that to a boil and then let simmer.
6. On your last burner, squeeze in a pot of sweetened water. (You can sweeten this with sugar, maple syrup, honey, stevia, pear juice -- my favourite, or apple juice.)
7. Boil a pot of water and put the peaches in for two minutes. Scoop the peaches out and let them cool a few minutes in a bowl. Slip off the skins.
8. When you have a bowl of naked and shiny peaches, slice them into a bowl (halves or slices). When you have enough to fill a few jars, fill 'em. (A funnel just for this is sold at any Home Hardware store.)
9. Pour the boiling hot sweetened water over top, fill to about ｼ inch from the top, wipe the rim with a clean wet cloth, and put a hot lid on. Then screw on a ring -- just tight, not super tight.
10. Gently place the jar into your canner (make sure the disc is in the bottom that keeps the jars up a few millimetres). Do this until you have seven jars in the canner. Close the canner and boil for 20 minutes.