Peach or Nectarine Pie Filling

-Stacy

8 lbs peach or nectarines
7 cups sugar
2 cups clear Jel
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 3/4 cups lemon juice
1 tsp almond extract

Wash peaches, peel peaches and cut fruit into 1/2" slices.Put slices into ascorbic acid solution while you are preparing all the fruit. ( I crush about 6 chewable vitamin C tablets into 1 gallon of water). Drain well, be sure you have about 24 cups of fruit, set aside.In 8 qrt dutch oven or pot heat about 6 cups water to boiling. Add 6 cups peach slices; return to boiling. Boil for 1 minute. Use a slotted spoon or heatproof sieve and transfer boiled peaches to a large bowl, keep covered. Keep doing until all fruit is boiled. Using large pot combine sugar, clear-jel, cinnamon and nutmeg and stir in the 4 1/2 cups water. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and begins to boil. Add the lemon juice: boil 1 minute stirring constantly. Stir in the almond extract. Immediately add fruit, stirring gently to coat. Heat for 3 minutes. Spoon hot fruit mixture into hot clean sterile quart size jars with 1 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and process in a boiling water canner for 30 minutes.

Jar makes 1-9 inch pie.