I had huge plans for this summer’s peaches. (They were exceptionally delicious this year, weren’t they?) This was the year I was going to try canning. But things didn’t really go as planned. As a result, I had 3 litres of peaches to use up…quickly. Which is how this Vegan Peach Ginger Crisp came to be.
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Canning is something I’ve always wanted to try. (Have you ever tried it? Do you enjoy it?) Who wouldn’t want to have jars and jars of sweet summer peaches to enjoy in February? The closest I’ve come to canning is with my Easy Refrigerator Pickled Peaches Recipe. But those peaches only last a few weeks…and that’s pickling, not canning. The canned stuff? It lasts months! Even years!
So off I went to get myself ready to become a master canner.
I bought three baskets of peaches (3L in total), I went out and bought a big canning pot, the jars, and all the accessories I needed. I was all set. I even had a copy of the Batch technique and recipe book (excellent book if you are thinking of getting into canning, preserving, dehydrating, or fermenting, btw! I highly recommend it!)
The big day came and I started out by reading the directions that came along with the pot. Apparently, canning CANNOT be done on a ceramic top stove for a few reasons. The weight of the water and jars may break the surface and the way a ceramic stove cycles its heat may not seal the jars properly. Ugh. Off to the returns counter.
So my big dreams of canning peaches this year came to a crashing end. There are ways to work around it but I didn’t have time, I had a large amount of peaches that needed to be used before they went bad. So, we ate a lot of peaches (no complaints) I made a few of my peach recipes (also, no complaints) and I came up with this gluten-free and Vegan Peach Ginger Crisp recipe (definitely no complaints!)
I’ve made peach crisps before but for this particular Vegan Peach Ginger Crisp, I spiced it up a bit by adding some ground ginger. This is such a nice dessert to serve in the summer and it’s sweet…but not too sweet. Just the way I like it. You can serve it plain, with a scoop of ice cream, or topped with coconut whip. Whichever way you go, you can’t go wrong.
I chose to use ground ginger in this recipe, but I bet this would be even more amazing with freshly grated ginger. I’m going to play around with that idea next peach season. And maybe when that time rolls around, I will have figured out a way around the great canning fiasco of summer 2016 🙂
How to Make Vegan Peach Ginger Crisp
Vegan Peach Ginger Crisp
Ingredients:
Peach layer
- 8 fresh peaches, chopped
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
Topping
- 1 1/4 cups rolled oats (gluten free oats, if needed)
- 1/2 cup oat flour
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 cup coconut oil + a little extra for greasing baking dish
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350F.
- Lightly grease an 8 x 8 baking dish with coconut oil.
- Add chopped peaches, vanilla extract, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, and maple syrup to a bowl. Stir until combined.
- Add peach mixture to the greased baking dish and spread so you have an even layer. Set aside.
- Add rolled oats, oat flour, coconut sugar, and 1/2 tsp ground ginger to a bowl and whisk until combined.
- Add coconut oil to oat mixture and mix until combined and crumbly.
- Add oat mixture to the top of the peaches in the baking dish and loosely spread to make an even layer (don't pack it down).
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until the fruit is bubbling and the top is golden.
- Cool before serving, best when served warm.
Recipe Notes:
- Use only 6 peaches if yours are on the large side. The important thing is that you get an even layer at the bottom of your dish.
- This dessert is best enjoyed the day it was made, but if you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container. Warm up before serving again.
- Try serving with coconut whip or ice cream.
- Calorie count based on 6 servings and no toppings.
Nutrition Info:
Nicole says
That looks really good! I make my own jam, does that count as canning?
Gwen says
Thanks, Nicole! Sure, why not 😉 There are jars, and long shelf times 🙂 Enjoy the jam!
Demeter | Beaming Baker says
Things never really do go as planned in the kitchen, do they? Hehe. Gwen, I feel ya! 🙂 But thank goodness things went awry, or else we wouldn’t have this amazing crisp!
Canning: nope, never tried it! Strikes me as something that’s more difficult than it seems. Lol. Like, for the people who’ve made it for decades, it’s… just peachy (could not help myself), but for first-timers… a might tricky. Hey, the good news is that you were still able to return the pot! Silver lining, right? 😉
You’re not gonna get any complaints from me either! Just… as long as you send a big batch over. 😉 Love that you added in a kick of ginger!
This recipe is just lovely–so simple, full of the good stuff, and v+gf. Pinning, sharing and all the things. Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend, my friend. xo
Gwen says
Over here, when they go well, they go amazingly well. But when they don’t go so well…it’s not good 😉 Yesterday I was testing a new recipe and forgot to add sugar to the dough. Sigh…I will retry next weekend, it’s a simple fix lol But you’re right, sometimes those fails do end up leading us towards something else that’s great or even better! Not only in the kitchen!
Canning is very easy from everything I’ve read. As long as you have all the right equipment, you are set. We’ll see if I can figure it all out next summer!
Thanks so much for sharing, Demeter. I appreciate all of your support, always <3
Mary says
What a lot of hassle after you’d gotten ready to can! Sorry for you, home-canned peaches would have been nice. Another alternative for a future such incident would be slicing them up and freezing if you have the freezer space. I’ve done, that, I remember I dusted them with sugar (possibly lemon juice too?) and they lasted for a few months anyway quite well. Can’t argue with the delicious-looking vegan peach crisp though!
Gwen says
Hi Mary! Yes, lots of hassle but I did get to make the peach crisp and a few other treats as a result, so it turned out not so bad after all 🙂 Thanks for the tip! I saw a post (after this all took place, of course) that outlined a way, kind of similar to what you’ve described, to prepare the peaches and freeze for peach pies. It would have been so nice to have peach pie in the middle of winter! So many possibilities, it’s unfortunate that peach season is so short!