Sometimes I can’t believe how lucky I am. Not only because I wake up to the most happy adorable baby boy ever. But in other ways too.

Bear with me guys. I know its October and everyone is talking about Halloween and pumpkins and I’m here talking about peaches… but. Mom life. I get it. It’s old news. But just go with it.

When Northwest Cherry Growers contacted me again and asked if I’d be interested in a last minute shipment of white fleshed peaches, I said “Sure!” I couldn’t wait. And then they came, and they were all bad. Like, beyond soft. Mush. Fruit flies everywhere! I was so sad and disappointed- this had never happened in the 5 years of me being a Canbassador. So I emailed them explaining why I couldn’t use the fruit… and within 3 days I had a brand new shipment on my doorstep of peaches so fresh they were super firm!

And they were gorgeous too.

Unfortunately, mom life caused me to lose track of what I had planned to do. So I had to revisit my plans and kind of make things work during nap times. And with a teething baby that isn’t easy. At all.

I decided to do a riff on Marisa’s lazy peach preserves. I’m not a big honey person, and I didn’t have much in the house, so I went with sugar instead. I added lemon juice and for the liquid I used 1/4 of Earl Grey tea. I’ve made some Earl Grey nectarine preserves in the past and they were really good, so when I substituted sugar for honey and needed to add a liquid I thought I’d do that again. I used decaf Earl Grey this time because that’s what I had close by. A pregnancy leftover.

Like Marisa says, these are a loose set preserve. I’m sure mine are probably a little firmer just because of the sugar vs. honey thing, but ultimately they are not a jam. There’s definitely chunks and slices of peach left whole in there. It’s a cross between preserved peach slices and preserves.

Oops. Oh well. Sometimes mistakes can turn out pretty awesome.

EARL GREY PEACH PRESERVES (adapted directly from Food in Jars’ lazy peach preserves)

Ingredients:

• 4 lbs ripe peaches, pitted and sliced but NOT peeled (scrub fuzz off as best you can)
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup strong Earl Grey tea

Directions:

1. Wash peaches well to remove fuzz. Slice the peaches into 12 to 16 slices per peach. Place in a bowl. 
2. Pour honey over peach slices. Add lemon zest and stir to combine. Cover the bowl with a plate or some plastic wrap (to keep any bugs out) and let the fruit sit for about an hour until the juices start to run. 
3. When you’re ready to cook, prepare a boiling water bath canner and jars. Place lids in a small saucepan and bring to a bare simmer. 
4. Scrape the fruit into a large, non-reactive pan and bring to a boil, stirring regularly. 
5. Funnel fruit into the prepared jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Use a chopstick to remove any air bubbles. 
6. Wipe rims, apply lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath canner for 20 minutes. 
7. When time is up, remove jars from canner and let them cool on a folded kitchen towel. 
8. Once jars are cool enough to handle, remove rings and test seals. Sealed jars can be stored on the pantry shelf for up to one year. Unsealed jars should be refrigerated and and used promptly.

Soundtrack: ‘Dinosaur Train’ on PBS Kids and Indy barking

Sources & credits: Jars by Golden Harvest and Ball®