Easy Silky Smooth Peach Nectar – Fresh or Bottled
Well I was busy this weekend. I made over 30 quarts of amazing silky smooth peach nectar using fresh organic peaches from our peach tree! I want to show you how to make some too!
This peach nectar is one of my kids most favorite ways to enjoy our fresh peaches. If you know peaches, you know once they are ripe and picked they don’t last long! So I needed to use up a ton of peaches. So I set up a movie and watched it while I peeled and boiled, strained and bottled. I will say making peach nectar is probably one of my favorite things to bottle. Itโs easy, and actually pretty relaxing. I just need a couple hours to get it done.
The process of making peach nectar is actually really simple and straightforward. There are a couple different options when making this amazing drink.
Peach Benefits
These scrumptious snacks are an excellent source of vitamins A and vitamin C as well as minerals such as potassium, fluoride and iron. Because they contain a bounty of antioxidants, peaches keep the skin clear and slow down the aging process.
Tools you’ll need
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Fresh Peach Juice Recipe for Bottling
Easy Peach Nectar (Fresh or Bottled)
Equipment
- 1 steamer canner
- 1 large stock pot with a heavy bottom
- 1 potato masher
- 1 Blender
- 1 Sieve
- mason jars quart or pint will work
Ingredients
- 8 Lbs peaches peeled and halved(you do not have to peel them but I prefer to)
- 1 1/2 Cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 Cup lemon juice
Instructions
- Prep your peaches. Peel and halve them. Remove seeds and throw them away.
- Add all your peaches to a large stock pot. Add you lemon juice as well. Cover and cook on medium low, occasionally using the potato masher to break up the fruit. Cook for about 15 minutes or until everything has softened.*You can also use a juicer if you want.
- Transfer the peaches into a blender. You will have to do this in batches. Blend until smooth and pour the peach juice through a strainer into a large bowl or large pitcher. This will help reduce the amount of pulp. You can keep all the pulp if you desire. We like a smooth velvety fresh peach juice.
- Once you are done blending and straining the peaches, wash out your pan and repeat straining them one more time, pouring them back into the stock pot.
- Add the sugar to the juice and taste for sweetness. If you think you need more sugar you can add that here. I donโt ever think we need more.
- Cook the juice on medium low for another 5 minutes to dissolve the sugar.
- At this point you can add it to mason jars and store in the fridge. Drunk within a week.
- If you want to preserve the peach nectar, pour the juice into hot, sterilized quart jars. You can also use pints.
- Clean the rims well and screw on the lid.
- Process the quart jars for 25 minutes in a water bath canner or a steamer canner. Pints can be processed at 20 minutes.
- When the time is done, turn the stove off and let them slowly cool down. Take the lid off and let them continue to cool.
- Once they are just warm, you can move the bottled peach nectar to a cooling rack to cool all the way.
- You can now store this peach nectar for up to two years! However ours never lasts that long n.
- I like to put one in the fridge before drinking. You can also pour it over ice. Combine it with sparkling water or sprite and you have an amazing drink! Use for cocktails, mocktails, or as a yummy breakfast drink.
Fresh Peach Nectar Tips
- First, make sure to use ripe peaches. You dont want them to be overripe or underripe. Find that sweet spot.
- You can peel your peaches or choose not to. Depending on the quality of the peaches I will decide whether to peel them. You will be blending all the peaches up and straining them so it wont make a huge difference and there are vitamins and minerals in the peach peel.
- Remove the pits from the peaches as well. The worst thing is when you miss one and accidentally blend one up. Just another reason why we strain the juice!
- I like to strain the nectar twice using a fine mesh strainer. Once coming out of the blender and then once before I pour it back into the pot.
- If your nectar is really thick, you can add some water to help balance out the texture and consistency. I start with one cup of water and then see where I am at.
- Keep your fresh peach juice in the fridge for up to a week.
The intense peach flavor of this fresh peach nectar makes it a great addition to many drinks. It is better than orange juice in my opinion.
Drinks you can make with fresh peach nectar
Do me a favor and try this! It will be such a treat in the middle of winter when fresh fruit like this is not available. This drink has no preservatives and this mixture is considered liquid gold in our house!
Don’t forget to pin this for later!
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