Vivian Howard Gets Pretty in Peach On ‘A Chef’s Life’
Vivian Howard Gets Pretty in Peach On ‘A Chef’s Life’
There are few simple pleasures more emblematic of summer than a perfectly ripe, just-picked peach, and no one knows that better than chef Vivian Howard. “Peaches are really only at their prime for about one month every summer,” Howard says, sinking her teeth into a farm fresh peach in the promo for the next episode of A Chef’s Life.
Photos Courtesy of A Chef’s Life
A Chef’s Life is the popular PBS documentary program that follows Howard, a beloved Southern chef, as she navigates life and restaurant ownership in North Carolina. In this week’s episode, Howard is thrown a curveball when an unexpected group of 35 shows up to her restaurant a night earlier than anticipated, leaving the restaurant team scrambling.
However, Howard also takes some time to slow down and learn a farm’s secret for perfect canned peaches and to share some fond memories from her own childhood summers.
To learn how to can your own peaches, follow the recipe below, and check out your local PBS listings to find out when A Chef’s Life airs in your area.
Canned Peaches
Makes 8 pints
4 quart or 8 pint jars
20 medium barely ripe, firm peaches
3 cups granulated sugar
6 cups water
Two things to keep in mind here. It’s important to can peaches that are ripe, but not soft. You’re going to manhandle a pretty delicate fruit, so starting with a peach that has a shot of holding up as you ram it in a jar is key. Also if you choose to double this recipe, do so in batches. If you peel and quarter too many peaches before canning them, they’ll turn brown, so keep your batches small.
Begin by peeling the peaches. To peel them with ease, bring a large pot of water to a boil and set up an ice bath nearby. Make an X in the bottom of each peach. Drop the peaches, maybe 5 at the time, into the water and allow them to boil for up to 1 minute. Be careful not to cook the peaches, but make sure the skin starts to split and peel away from the flesh. Using a large slotted spoon, remove the peaches from the boiling water and drop them into the ice bath. Once you’ve shocked all of them, start peeling them using the X as a guide. Once they’re all peeled, cut them in half, remove the pit and quarter.
Sterilize your jars and add any flavoring elements you wish, and start stuffing the quartered peaches in the jars, cavity side down. This is harder than it looks but very important. If the cavity is facing down, you’ll be able to fit more peaches in the jar. The idea is to get as many peaches in the jar as you can, then try to get one more.
As you fill the jars, heat the sugar and water to make the syrup. I like to do this in a tea kettle. It makes pouring the syrup into the jars easier. Once the jars are stuffed with peaches, pour the hot syrup slowly over top, allowing the syrup to creep its way through all the peaches. Cover the peaches by ½ inch with syrup. Process the jars immediately in the canner for 30 minutes.
Love Vivian Howard? Check out these stories:
Why Vivian Howard is the Southern chef you should know
Vivian’s one-pot chicken and rice recipe
Vivian says: Don’t mess with Mom’s classic recipes
