One reason I love cooking, is it’s creative, which is particularly important when you buy produce in bulk. In my blog post, “What Should I Do With All This Produce?” I lay out some creative options for using bulk produce, and I need to update to add the option of fruit syrups. What brings me great joy is making something delicious out of scraps, which would typically be thrown out.

It’s very satisfying to see a pile of peach peels and pits, knowing it will be transformed into a coral-colored peach juice. Just take your peach peels and pits, and put them in a Dutch oven. Add water, just enough to almost cover. Don’t overdo it though, because the more water you add, the less peachy it will be!

Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer about 30 minutes, or until starting to reduce. Now you must drain the peach material from the juice. Line cheesecloth over a fine mesh strainer and set over a pot. Pour peach mixture in strainer and let sit two hours, or until all the juice has dripped from the peach material.

After all the juice is out, pour into a measuring bowl. Look at this beautiful peach juice!

My juice yielded three cups, so I added three cups of sugar. Cook on medium, whisking until sugar is dissolved, then bring to a boil.

Lower to a simmer about 30 minutes or until mixture thickens like syrup. To test, take a spoon and dish some out, and let cool to check for thickness and taste. After the syrup is done, pour into half pint, and or pint canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch space. Secure lids and rings, and place in pot making sure tops of jars are covered by at least an inch. Bring to a boil, and process jars for 15 minutes. Take out of canner and allow to cool 24 hours. Of course, don’t can the syrup for immediate use, just store in the refrigerator. This syrup has a very fresh peach flavor!

Here are some ways to use peach syrup – on pancakes, in iced tea, on ice cream, and in yogurt! We tried ours on pancakes and tea for starters. I imagine you can use this also to make homemade granola. Humm . . I’m going to try that!

Capture summer goodness in this fun peach syrup to enjoy all year around, or give some out as gifts!