Question
Old timers use to put a pit in the jar when they canned peaches. What is the purpose and are pits poisonous ?

Answer
Hi Patricia,
Thanx for your question.  I'm not a canning expert.  I've only been canning about 7 years but everything I have been taught indicates that one tosses out the pit.  I have heard that canners in the past, included a pit, because they believed it maintained color and taste.  I have found no data to indicate that this is true.  All current instructions call for discarding the pit.

The pit contains a compound called amygdalin.  It is poisonous but one would have to chew throught the hard pit and chew up the seed for it to be dangerous.

I hope this helps.
Tom