Lightly Sweetened Canned Peaches- In Honey

Many canning recipes call for boatloads of sugar… but this recipe uses a lightly honey sweetened syrup so you don’t have to worry about the extra sugar calories, that can end up stored as fat!

Ahhh, peaches are the classic sign of summer and they are one of my favorite fruits. The sight and smell of peaches in the local markets this time of year always brings back childhood memories.  I grew up in the Okanagan with a huge garden and fruit trees, and got pretty used to being able to eat summer fruit right through the winter. Canning’s a tradition that’s rubbed off on me.

But…there are 2 things I don’t like about canning:

#1- The mess…the clean up….the sticky floor. Ok I guess you could say I am not the neatest most organized person when I can. Instead of getting everything prepared and ready…I usually try to do everything at once and it creates a large mess, in a hot kitchen to boot.

#2- Many canning recipes call for boatloads of sugar… and the last thing we need in our diet is extra sugar (which gets stored as fat), on top of what natural sugar already exists.

Now– sometimes sugar is required in a recipe to ensure that the preservation is done properly and in a safe manner. However, after a little research, I learned that in regards to peaches, this was NOT the case. Many people can peaches or pears in either a light or heavy sugar syrup, but this only enhances the flavor and it has no bearing on the safety of canning. You could actually can peaches in plain water, if you wanted too.

So, if your taste buds are accustomed to natural flavors, try this lightly sweetened honey based syrup when canning peaches- they are sweet enough! They are low in calories, have 3 grams of fiber, and rich in vitamin A and C.