Easy Peach Lekvar Recipe

1st make fruit puree. Wash the fruit. Remove the stones and quarter the peaches (12lb), Pour prepared peaches into a large pot, pour in 1/2 cup water. Cook peaches on medium heat until they start to get soft and mixture will get watery. This is normal. Stir frequently, especially in the beginning so they don't burn on the bottom of the pot. Cook until very soft, this can take 15-20 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to lukewarm.

To remove skins from the peaches use a food mill. Set the food mill onto a bowl or a pot. And process all of the soft cooked peaches thru it. Discard the skins. Mixture will look most likely watery and a little chunky, too. This is normal.

Process peaches without the skins in a food processor until smooth. Now you have a plain, unseasoned fruit puree.

Into a pot add peach puree, pour in sugar (4-5 cups), taste before adding more and lemon juice (freshly squeezed juice of 3 medium to large size lemons)

TIP: You can also use other flavorings to flavor peach lekvar, for example cook lekvar with spices, like whole cinnamon stick, ginger root, cloves, add a shot of rum or other alcohol, etc. Experiment and get creative. I like to keep it simple and plain for most part.

If using a stove top cooking method first bring mixture to boil, stirring frequently. Lower heat to simmer and cook until it deepens in color and thickens to lekvar consistency. When cooking large quantities this can take hours and hours of cooking and frequent stirring to prevent lekvar from burning at the bottom of the pot. Make the process easier and faster by using Skillet or Oven Cooking Method.

Cook small portions of about 3 cups of seasoned peach fruit puree in a skillet

Cook in the skillet in 3 cups measures, cook on medium high heat, stirring often, more often as the mixture thickens. Use a mesh splatter as needed. Make sure to scrape the sides of the skillet frequently to avoid mixture burning. You can however cook it all in one pot but it takes a log longer than this method. I like lekvar to be very thick so I cook it down until when you run the spoon through it it take 10 seconds or longer for the lines to come back together. Then scrape it out of the skillet into a clean bowl, and repeat. Once you are finished you can can the peach lekvar, process jars in the water bath for 10 minutes.

Mixture changed color, it becomes darker as it thickens

Preheat oven to 390F. Pour prepared peach puree into an oven safe dish and bake until it starts to boil, check if it isboiling after 10 minutes. Then once it's boiling reduce oven temperature to 340F and continue baking lekvar for about 3-4 hours, stirring about twice every hour, until it's thick and rich in color.

TIP : Be careful when opening the oven when mixture is boiling, so it doesn't splatter on your skin.

If you have a slow cooker you can also utilize it cook lekvar. Cook seasoned puree on low heat in an open slow cooker for about 5 hours, this helps to get rid of excess water and lekvar thickens nicely. If need cook for longer to the consistency you prefer.

TIP : Use a splatter cooking screen on your slow cooker.

You can now can peach lekvar into sterilized jars. I use water bath to can my lekvar. I process jars in hot water bath for about 15 minutes.