Peachy

We had hopes to get over to Southern Michigan and get some Redhaven peaches, which are my absolute favorite peaches from childhood. In fact, my grandparents had been given a peach tree - and its fruit - from a grateful client, and I can remember going with Mamere to collect the sweet deep yellow peaches with our old Volkswagen. It was always a fight between us and the wasps - they wanted those sugary juices as much as we did!

Mamere used to can the peaches whole with spices and occasionally make peach jam. Myself, I cut and freeze the peaches and use some for peach brandy. I was fortunate this year to get hold of two crates of Georgia peaches - "Sun Prince" - a freestone variety that was new to me. Personally, I much prefer clingstone varieties for preserving whole - which is what I do with the brandy - and even for eating, as I find them sweeter and more able to hold their shape. But these were perfectly acceptable.

There are a number of ways to make peach brandy, and perhaps what I am making is better understood as "brandied peaches".
Preserving fruit in alcohol has the advantage of using less sugar than other methods - and you get some nice brandy or liqueur. Last year, I went for sweet, but this year, I followed an older family recipe which is something like this:

Brandied Peaches

Peaches
Sugar
Water
Brandy
Vanilla (optional, to be mixed with the brandy)

Measure the peaches by weight and take half their weight in sugar and put it in a large pot. Then measure the peaches by volume and take that amount of water and add it to the sugar. Make a simple sugar syrup and then allow to cool completely. Skin the peaches and place whole fruit in acidulated water. Place the cool peaches in the cold syrup and allow to cook until the peaches are just soft. Place the peaches in a large jar, leaving 2" of headroom - or several small ones - and reserve the syrup. Cover the peaches completely with brandy and place a cover on the jar(s). Let stand for 10 days. At the end of 10 days, drain off the brandy and reserve it. Cover the peaches again with the reserved sugar syrup, leaving 2" to the top of the peaches. Top off those 2" with enough brandy to completely cover the peaches. Store in a cool dark place for 6mos or as long as you can resist.