Summertime Peaches

This week I spent my Sunday afternoon knee-deep in peaches. I went to the NC Farmer's Market and got a mess from Johnson's peach stand from the Sandhills. I made my first batch of peach preserves and canned peaches for use through the off season months coming up. I also made a yummy peach cobbler and threw a couple in the blender with some SkinnyGirl margarita mix....so good! While I was at the market I had to get a sunflower :)

Peach Preserves

Ingredients:

About 4 lbs peaches, peeled pitted and sliced

1 box Sure-Jell

1/4 cup lemon juice

Cinnimon

Nutmeg

3-5 cups sugar, to taste

I made this just like I made my Plum Jelly previously. To make the peaches easier to peel I boiled them for a few minutes then put them in ice cold water...the skins came right off!  The peach slices were preserved in lemon juice and heated just below boiling for about 5 minutes in a syrup consisting of five parts water to one part sugar.

Peach Cobbler

Ingredients:

4-5 peaches, peeled pitted and sliced

1 stick butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

Melt the butter in a Pyrex dish in the oven while mixing the flour, sugar and milk. Add mixutre to melted butter in dish and stir. Add peaches. I sprinkled some Quaker Oats and cinnimon and brown sugar on top for a little extra, but it is definately not required. Bake on 375 about an hour. Top with ice-cream or Cool Whip.....yum! Unfortunately I got too excited and dug in before remembering to take a picture :)