Peaches, Pears, and Apples OH MY

Sunday was a busy day.
There was plenty of picking going on.

My husband, daughter, and I went to my parent's place to pick fruit.
My sister showed up to help too.

Dad has a apple tree with a bumper crop.
A couple pear trees and a couple peach trees too.

The peach are the small white Iowa peaches.
Here is some of what we brought home.

These are not everything either.
The fruit crisper drawer is full of apples and there is a cooler full in the garage.
I have a cooler full of pears that isn't in this pictures.
There is also a huge box of peaches sitting in the back of the truck.
Too full for us to want to move until some of the peaches are gone.

Mom and Dad also have tons at home.

I did make butterscotch peach jam yesterday.

Today I am planning on making applesauce.
I may freeze some apples today too.
Later this week, I will be doing apple butter.

The pears aren't ripe yet.
They don't ripen til picked off the tree.

I am still doing tomatoes too.

One day I need to find time to cook my neck pumpkin.
This I got from a friend.

I'm going to be busy.
But, a good kind of busy.

Butterscotch Peach Jam

Butterscotch peach jam is simple to make and awesome to taste. It is a bit different from the usual peach preserves, but in a good way.

I have to give credit for this yummy recipe to  Mary Anne Dragan. I am not sure if she came up with it, but I found it in her Well Preserved cookbook.

You will need 5-6 eight oz. jelly jars and lids/bands,ready for canning.

You will need a bath water canner full of water and heating on the stove.

Ingredients:

6 cups peeled, cored, and chopped peaches(5-6 medium/large peaches)

1/3 cup lemon juice

5 cups brown sugar

In a Dutch oven, mix the chopped peaches and lemon juice.

Crush the fruit with a potato masher.

Bring to a boil over medium heat.

Cover, lower heat, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring once in a while.

Add the brown sugar and stir until it is blended well.

Turn the heat up to medium/high and cook for about 20-25 minutes or until the jam has thickened a little bit.

Stir quite frequently so it won't stick to the bottom.

When ready, remove from heat and stir for a few minutes so all the peach pieces stay distributed throughout the jam.

Skim off any foam. It isn't necessary so that is your preference.

Ladle the jam into the prepared jars and wipe the rims of the jars, lids, and bands with a hot, damp cloth and seal.

Add to the bath water canner and process for 10 minutes.

Fruit Coffee Cake

You can use many different fruits for this coffee cake. I used blueberries because I grow them and we had plenty.

You will need an 8" square pan.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups chopped, peeled apple, apricots, peaches or pineapple; you can also use 1-1/2 cups blueberries or raspberries
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1-1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup butter
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons butter

In a saucepan, combine the fruit and water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat.
Simmer for 5 minutes, unless you are using the raspberries. Do not simmer those-they fall apart.
Combine the 1/4 cup sugar and the cornstarch and stir into the fruit.
Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture is thick and bubbly.
Cook and stir 2 more minutes.
Remove from heat.
In a bowl, combine the 1-1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and baking soda.
Cut in the butter til you have coarse crumbs.
Set aside.
In another bowl, beat the egg, buttermilk, and vanilla extract.
Add that mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until moistened.
Spread half the batter into baking pan.
Spread fruit mixture over that.
Drop remaining batter in mounds atop the fruit filling.
Mix together the remaining sugar and flour. Cut in the 2 Tablespoons butter til you have coarse crumbs.
Sprinkle that over the coffee cake.

Bake for 40-45 minutes until golden.

Serves 9.