Canning Fruit

To can fruit, start with ripe fruit that has no spots or blemishes. Any fresh fruit that’s ready to eat raw is ready to can. The procedure for most fruit is the same. Wash fruit well; peel if using peaches or pears, and remove stems if using cherries or berries.

Pack the fruit into clean jars allowing plenty of headspace. My own rule of thumb is never packing past the first “ring” from the top of the jar (that’s what I tell my boys when they help me). Pour sugar syrup over fruit, again leaving headspace of at least ½ inch. Canned fruit can boil over, and that makes quite a sticky mess, so follow a basic hot-water-bath canning procedure to process. Most fruit should be canned for 20 minutes.