Peach Lemonade Concentrate

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Peach lemonade concentrate is a sweet, tart drink base made from fresh peach juice, lemon juice, and sugar. Process it in a water bath canner and keep it on the pantry shelf, then mix one part concentrate with three parts water for peach lemonade any time of year. One pint makes a half gallon of finished lemonade.

Prep Time1

Cook Time15

Canning Time15

Total Time1 30

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Keyword: canning lemonade concentrate

Servings: servings, Makes 6 pints (or 3 quarts)

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Peach Juice

12 medium peaches
2 cups water

For the Concentrate

4 cups peach juice
4 cups lemon juice fresh or bottled
6 cups granulated sugar

Instructions

Prepare a water bath canner, jars, and lids before you begin.
Juice the lemons and strain the juice well to remove the seeds and pulp.
Quarter the peaches and add them to a pot with the water. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently until the fruit is soft and breaking down, about 20 minutes. Strain through a jelly bag or several layers of cheesecloth, letting it drip until you have a clear juice. Peeling and pitting are not required, though removing the pits first gives a slightly clearer juice.
Combine the peach juice, strained lemon juice, and sugar in a saucepan. Stir to dissolve the sugar.
Heat the mixture to 190 degrees F, stirring often. Do not boil.
Ladle the hot concentrate into prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe the rims, center the lids, and apply the bands fingertip tight.
Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude (see notes).
Turn off the heat and let the jars rest 5 minutes, then remove and cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours. Check the seals.
To reconstitute, mix 1 part concentrate with 3 parts cold water.

Notes

Yield: You need about 12 medium peaches, which is about 4 pounds, to yield 4 cups of peach juice. Both the peach juice and the lemon juice are safe to can on their own, so the ratio is not fixed for safety. Lean toward more peach or more lemon to suit your taste, and raise or lower the sugar however you like, since the sugar is here for flavor rather than preservation.

Lemon Juice: Fresh or bottled lemon juice both work. Fresh juice, strained well, gives the fullest flavor, while bottled is convenient and has a steady acidity. Either way, use plain lemon juice with nothing else added.

Straining: The peaches go into this recipe as extracted juice, so the straining happens when you drip the cooked fruit through a jelly bag. Letting it drip longer gives a clearer, more concentrated juice, while pressing some of the pulp through leaves more body in the finished drink. The canning time is the same either way, so this is a quality choice and not a safety one.

Reconstituting: One pint of concentrate makes a half gallon of peach lemonade. Mix 1 part concentrate with 3 parts cold water, or pour a pint into a half gallon mason jar and fill the rest with water, then serve over ice. Mix it stronger or weaker to taste, or stir it into sparkling water for a fizzy version.

Storage: Sealed, processed jars keep on the pantry shelf for up to a year. If you are not canning, the concentrate keeps in the refrigerator for a few weeks or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Leave 1 inch of headspace if you are freezing so it has room to expand, and refrigerate after opening.

Altitude Adjustments: Process half pints, pints, and quarts for 15 minutes below 1,000 feet. Between 1,000 and 6,000 feet, process for 20 minutes, and above 6,000 feet, process for 25 minutes. This follows the NCHFP fruit puree times, which are the same across all three jar sizes. Do not can this in half gallon jars, since quart is the largest size.

Nutrition