Drunken Peaches (Canning)

Adapted from "Food in Jars". Not nearly as boozy or as sugary as the ones my grandmother used to make, just enough to give them flavor. I use brandy, but the original recipe called for bourbon. Rum would work well, too, as would a cinnamon stick, some cardamom pods, coriander seeds, or a few whole cloves in the syrup. I use four pounds (nine pieces in a box at Sam's Club) of large peaches and get five pint jars.

• Ready In: 1 hr 25 mins
• Yields: 5 pints

Ingredients

• 4  lbs  freestone  peaches
• 1 1⁄2 cups sugar
• 3  cups  good water
• 1 1⁄4 cups brandy (or booze of your choice)

Directions

1. Bring the canner full of water to a boil. Cut an X on the bottom of each peach and blanch them in the canning water for 30 to 45 seconds, then drop them into ice water to chill. Slip the skins off when they are cool enough to handle.
2. Make a syrup by heating the sugar and water together in a sauce pan, stirring to dissolve the sugar, and bring to a gentle simmer.
3. Cut each peeled peach into quarters, remove the pits, and pack them into the warm pint jars, overlapping them to fit. I get seven peach quarters in each jar, plus one leftover quarter I can eat.
4. Add 1/4 Cup brandy to each jar of peaches. Add hot syrup to each jar, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Move a knife around in each jar to release any bubbles, then top off with more syrup if necessary. You will probably have extra syrup, but save it for sweetening other products or fruit mixtures.
5. Process filled jars in a boiling water bath for 25 minutes (sea level). Let the jars rest for at least a week to develop best flavor.