Pleasing Peach Recipes

Peach Leather

Peel enough soft, ripe, freestone peaches to make 1 gallon of pulp when put through a coarse sieve. Add ¼ lb. white sugar and let boil one minute. Spread on baking tins, cover with mosquito netting, put in hot sun to dry for 3 days. Bring in at night. When leather draws away from sides of tin, it is done. Lay on bread board, sprinkle with granulated sugar, and roll thin. (The old books say as thin as a knife blade). Cut into strips, roll up like small wafers. Dust again with sugar. Pack in a tin box. It will keep indefinitely.

Peach Conserve

Peel and slice fresh ripe peaches. Place in pressure cooker with thinly sliced oranges and peel of one orange, thinly sliced peeled lemon, including one teaspoon grated lemon rind, and water. Place cover on cooker. When steam escapes put indicator weight on cooker and pressure cook 5 minutes at 15 lb. pressure. Quick cool. Remove cover. Add sugar and remaining ingredients and cook. Test conserve for jell stage, — two drops from spoon indicates conserve has reached correct stage. Fill sterilized jars when cool. Cover with coating of melted paraffin.

Peach sauce

Peel and pit ripe peaches. Cook over moderate heat, without adding any water, until soft. Put through strainer or food mill to remove stringy portion. Add sugar to taste, ¼ cup or less to each cup of peach pulp, according to acidity of peaches. Do not get too sweet. Reheat and pack into hot pint or ½ pint jars to ¼ inch of top. Process at boiling point for 10 minutes.

Peach Nut Squares

In pan, stir 1 cup canned peach sauce over low heat till boiling. Stir in 1 package peach or apricot gelatin. Add ¾ cup sugar, bring to a boil, stirring; boil 2 minutes, add ¾ cup coarsely chopped nuts, mixing well. Ginger, nutmeg or other spices to suit taste, may be added just before pouring into pan if desired. Two tablespoons more or less finely chopped candied ginger, the amount depending on spiciness desired, is delicious added with the nuts. Pour ½ inch thick, into buttered square or rectangular pan. Chill over-night. When firm cut in 1 inch squares; roll in granulated sugar. Do not refrigerate again. After 24 hours, sugar again. Pack in boxes and keep in cool, dry, place.

Notes:

These recipes were prepared by Martha McKinnon Harris, a County Home Economics Agent in North Carolina. Her daughter Martha McKinnon Harris, Albemarle, North Carolina, provided the recipes to us.
Digital formatting is by Jonathan Mitchell.